Serbiz secures pre-seed investment from Antler after igniting Vietnam's gig economy

Founded by Iyana Argañoza (CEO) and Aliexandra Heart Po (COO), Serbiz began as a university side project and within five months scaled to over 50,000 users in the Philippines. The duo, both Computer Science graduates and elected batch presidents at De La Salle University, teamed up with Antler Vietnam to test their product in-market. As a result, over 30,000 new users registered within just four weeks, all with zero paid marketing.

Their expansion story reflects the resourcefulness of a generation. "We were screenshotting TikToks and direct messages in Vietnamese, feeding them to ChatGPT on an hourly basis just to ride local TikTok trends and communicate with users," said Argañoza. "We went viral five times, rebuilt the app three times, and brought in over 30,000 users in under four weeks."

As one of the youngest women-led startups in the region to secure VC backing, Serbiz's early traction highlights both strong product-market fit and the impact of Antler's hands-on, locally embedded approach to venture building in Vietnam.

Serbiz's two founders, Iyana Argañoza (left) and Aliexandra Heart Po

In Vietnam, hustle is more than ambition, it's a way of life. Serbiz channels that energy into a frictionless digital marketplace where Gen Z talent can launch side gigs within minutes, and small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can plug skill gaps quickly and affordably. This flywheel unlocks new income for individuals and faster execution for businesses.

Erik Jonsson, partner at Antler Vietnam, a serial entrepreneur and the first foreign shark on Shark Tank Vietnam, said, "At Antler, we back founders from the very early stages of building their startups, and Argañoza and Po embody the kind of grit and resourcefulness we look for. Fourteen years in Vietnam taught me that hustle runs deep here, passed down through generations of hard work. Vietnam's young hustlers are all gas, no breaks. They always have 2-3 other side hustles on top of their day jobs. Serbiz captures that instinct, puts structure around it, and gives it scale. Growing to more than a hundred thousand users in both the Philippines and Vietnam without spending on marketing speaks volumes about product‑market fit and the quality of execution. As they build a frictionless, scalable ecosystem in no time, they'll turn Vietnam's hustle into Southeast Asia's largest talent engine.”

Most gig platforms expect users to know exactly what to offer or what to ask for. Serbiz flips that script.

Serbiz uses AI to guide both sides of the marketplace: helping “hustlers” (individuals offering services) discover what they can do; and helping “listers” (individuals or SMEs seeking services) describe what they need. Even if users don't know what to offer or how to ask, the platform makes it simple.

Hustlers can get personalised gig suggestions based on their habits and skills, from offering niche services to renting out idle items. Listers, meanwhile, can find help for anything from crochet toy commissions to borrowing a PS5 for a party.

“The beauty of our AI is that it learns and adapts just like we do,” added Po. “Whether it's understanding Filipino diskarte or Vietnamese entrepreneurial spirit, we build technology that evolves with local culture while solving universal needs.”

This AI-powered matching helps people monetise their time, talents, or possessions, while giving SMEs access to flexible, on-demand talent. It's designed to make earning and outsourcing easier for everyone, a big reason why Serbiz has seen such rapid traction in Vietnam and the Philippines.

Serbiz joined the Antler SEA Venture Launchpad on April 28, a hands-on programme in Ho Chi Minh City that helps early-stage startups go from prototype to launch fast. Antler believed in Serbiz's mission early and backed the team after seeing strong momentum and deep market understanding. The programme pushed the founders to expand beyond the Philippines, without spending on ads or infrastructure, and test their product in a brand new market.

“Antler gave us the push to be scrappy and think bigger,” said Argañoza. “It teaches us that with the right product and execution, community growth doesn't require big budgets.”

This investment highlights Antler's continued commitment to identifying and nurturing high-growth startups that are addressing critical market needs and demonstrating exceptional execution capabilities. Serbiz's early success in Vietnam serves as a powerful validation of both its business model and the efficacy of Antler's hands-on approach to venture building.

Serbiz first gained momentum in the Philippines, ranking top three in the App Store's Business category. So far, it has attracted more than 80,000 registered users, over 27,000 organic marketplace posts, a viral TikTok campaign reaching over 3.5M people, and a pop-up market with nearly 2,000 people waitlisted for the app.

Meanwhile in Vietnam, growth remains strong, with more than 30,000 users, over 2,000 organic marketplace posts, a top eight App Store ranking, an average session time of 8 minutes 51 seconds, and more than 850,000 TikTok views fuelling continued adoption.

With Antler's backing and traction in both markets, Serbiz is now preparing for the next phase of growth. The team plans to expand across Southeast Asia, bringing its AI-powered platform to more users and communities hungry for flexible income opportunities.

As demand scales, Serbiz is also upgrading its technical infrastructure to support growth and investing further in AI-driven personalisation. This aims to ensure that both hustlers and listers continue to find high-value matches with minimal friction. At its core, the team remains focused on turning the region's hustle culture into a long-term engine of economic empowerment, one side gig at a time.

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