Populix, an Indonesian tech-based research company, announced Tuesday it has secured $4.3 million in the first close of its Series B funding round.

The investment was led by MSW V Asia Fund X, with participation from existing investors Intudo Ventures, Altos Ventures, and Acrew Capital, Populix said in a statement.

Through the Series B funding received, Populix said it is ​​committed to developing and training its artificial intelligence (AI) models to automate research processes and generate faster and more reliable insights.

The firm is ​​also working on AI machine learning to develop synthetic respondents, artificial personas that mimic human responses which enable faster data collection.

The two developments are prioritized to help industry players and policymakers maximize AI adoption in their research.

“This funding encourages us to continue reinforcing our business fundamentals by developing services and leveraging technology to innovate in the future,

“In addition, Populix also aspires to expand its market to Southeast Asia based on strong demand from current clients,” said Dr. Timothy Astandu, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Populix.

Since closing the Series A round in 2022, Populix has continued expanding public access to research.

In 2023, the firm launched Policy & Society Research service, to help organizations and governments analyze public sentiment, policy impacts, and economic and social trends.

Meanwhile, on the technology side, the firm developed NeXa, an AI-based research assistant that can help guide users in conducting research, starting from designing and creating questionnaires, accessing targeted respondent groups, to drawing conclusions.

In the last year, the total projects carried out by Populix grew two-fold, with 65 percent of them coming from recurring clients.

The firm has also expanded client base industries to telecommunications and government sectors, highlighting its growing footprint in the research industry.

“Market Research” has steadily moved from ‘primary analysis of collected sampling data’ to ‘real-time intelligence sensing from aggregated audiences’ – driven by a triumvirate of factors, including gentrified perception of privacy after two decades of social media exploitation, tribal and community-based self-referencing negating the need for stratified research sampling parameters, and the adoption of AI agents and the emergence of synthetic audiences adopted from the 5XFAANGs custom audience promulgations,” said Jeffrey Seah, Founder and General Partner of MSW Ventures.

As a result, he noted that informed decision-making has been elevated to a higher priority for businesses and organizations within and entering the Asia Pacific markets and their associated diaspora populations.

“Businesses demand speed, veracity and projected intent in their market intelligence-to-decision frameworks,

“First mover responses to market shifts are critical defensible competitive edges as market retaliation cycles shorten,” he said.

He said the firm has witnessed how Populix is democratizing access to high-quality insights through its proprietary data pipelines and expansive network.

“By closing the decision lag between insight and action, Populix fuses the depth of traditional research with the immediacy of synthetic data and agentic AI—delivering strategic advantages with unprecedented speed, accuracy, and actionability,

“This enables the company to scale its offering across the region and drive the next wave of innovation in the market research sector,” he added.

Patrick Yip, Founding Partner Intudo Ventures, said participating in this Series B round alongside its trusted fellow investors reflects the firm’s continued belief in Populix’s vision and execution capabilities.

“Even with recent market challenges, Populix has kept growing and proving its value through reliable, data-driven insights that businesses rely on,

“With new products in the works, we’re confident Populix will continue to be a leading consumer insights platform in Indonesia and the region,” he added.

Richard Song, Partner at Altos Ventures, said the firm is committed to partnering with visionary leaders who demonstrate an ownership mentality and a clear vision for the future.

“Populix exemplifies these qualities by leveraging technology to revolutionize consumer insights in Indonesia,

“We are excited to support their journey as they empower businesses with real-time, accurate data to make informed decisions,” he added.

Kerry Whorton Cooper, Venture Advisor, Acrew Capital, explained that Al is already severely disrupting the data and insights space.

“As shown by the stickiness and loyalty of their enterprise clients, Populix is very well positioned to take advantage of the changing landscape through innovative products and a deep understanding of client needs,” she added.

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