Intelligent in-room vending operator Fun Dora has pocketed 5 million yuan (732,200 dollars) in an angel round financing in June. The funds will go towards system research and development, facility support and team expansion, according to venture service platform Lieyunwang.com.
Hotel rooms are major target locations for vending machines. There is a potential market for tens of millions of vending machines in hotel rooms, as China hosts up to 3 million budget hotel chains with more than 10 million rooms and 5 billion business travelers.
Fun Dora was founded in March, 2018 and it targets this sector by integrating vendor facilities with takeaway services. It aspires to become a leading operator to make hotel rooms intelligent.
Leveraging artificial intelligence and Internet of Things, it uses e-commerce and new retail as gateways to provide hotel guests with smarter and more convenient experience during their stay. The in-room vending box of Fun Dora features QR code scanning for making purchases, 30-minute food delivery and 24-hour e-commerce. They also include Bluetooth speakers to enable voice interaction with smart devices in the room.
Fun Dora is currently being promoted in the market, and has received orders for 2,000 vending boxes from established hotels in Tianjin. The boxes will go online soon.
In the next step, Fun Dora is planning for the Pre-A round of financing to raise RMB 20 million for equipment upgrades and team expansion.
