Rocket Internet alumni launch mobile P2P marketplace app in Singapore

• Mobile P2P app launches week after similar app Carousell lands S$1mil in funding
• Duriana cofounders from Rocket Internet’s Hellofood subsidiary in Latin America

TWO former Rocket Internet senior executives from Latin America have launched Duriana, which they described as a “mobile-first, location-based, peer-to-peer marketplace application for Singapore.”
 
Similar to Carousell, which recently raised S$1 million (US$802,650) in seed investment to fuel its South-East Asian expansion, the Duriana app allows like-minded individuals to buy and sell items within their immediate specified vicinity.
 
In a statement, Duriana Internet Pte Ltd said it aims to build an engaged community of users through the app while “promoting the return of peer-to-peer buying and selling, reminiscent of the early days of peer-to-peer e-commerce before the emergence of power sellers.”
 
The company was founded in October this year by Alps Ventures, an Internet incubator which says it has offices in Singapore and Vienna. Duriana cofounders are Rocket Internet alumni Camilo Paredes and Amanda Ernst, who were both at the German Internet giant’s Hellofood subsidiary.
 
Paredes was cofounder and managing director at Hellofood.com, while Ernst was its regional operations manager, according to their LinkedIn profiles.
 
“We enjoy pre-loved treasures, searching for and finding them. Existing options are often cumbersome and dull, so we set out to bring a certain flair of quality craftsmanship, real-time interaction and ease of use to Duriana, our marketplace for all things beautiful near you,” said Paredes.
 
On top of its location-based feature, the app's user-friendly interface facilitates a welcome fuss-free mobile buying and selling process. Creating an item listing is easy, and sellers can do so in 30 seconds using their mobile phone's built-in camera before sharing this with their social circles, Duriana claimed.
 
The app also features an integral messaging function that enables real-time interaction and through which buyers can communicate their queries to sellers before finalising the transaction.
 
The Duriana app is free and available for download for the iOS and Android platforms.
 
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