To bring its IoT-enabled coffee machine to international markets, Morning raised US $1.27 million in a round sponsored by Razer’s VC arm

Morning, a Singapore-based coffee technology startup, said today that it has raised US$1.27 million in a pre-Series A round led by zVentures, the corporate venture capital arm of Razer, a prominent worldwide lifestyle brand for gamers.

The Lo & Behold Group of Singapore, as well as Royston Tay, Wu Wenxiang, and Kwok Yang Bin, founders of Zopim (bought by Zendesk in 2014), are among the other investors.

According to a news release, the funds will be used to further Morning’s international expansion.

Morning was founded by Leon Foo and Andre Chanco with the goal of making gourmet coffee more accessible in the home. In 2020, the firm will deploy its IoT-enabled equipment, which will use precision brewing features and a recipe-driven ecosystem to serve each cup of coffee exactly as the roaster intended.

Morning also has an online marketplace where you can get capsule coffees from some of the world’s best roasters.

The Morning Machine, which was initially launched on Kickstarter, claims to have met its funding goals in 48 hours and sold out its first manufacturing run of 1,000 units in less than six months.

Hong Kong, Canada, and the United Kingdom all have distributors for Morning.

Co-founder Foo said: “Both Morning and Razer share a vision for using technology to enable and elevate experiences and deep respect for sustainability and environment. We endeavor to draw from Razer’s expertise in hardware and technology to refine and perfect the Morning Machine and ecosystem for our customers.”

Cho Weihao, Investment Director at Razer, said, “zVentures identifies early-stage startups that lend value to the Razer ecosystem and helps nurture them into brands that our customers will appreciate. Coffee is a big part of our everyday lives, and we believe that Morning raises the bar for home coffee appreciation through the strategic application of technology.”

zVentures is a worldwide seed and Series A venture capital fund that invests in businesses that offer strategic value to the Razer ecosystem. Razer’s broad worldwide network of suppliers, OEMs, consumers, and investors is available to the fund’s portfolio businesses. They can also communicate with internal specialists, like-minded entrepreneurs, and influencers.