Google’s iron grip on Indonesia’s edtech space

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Hello reader,

Google has become a part of our daily lives – so much so that in 2006, the word was added to the Oxford English Dictionary. It speaks volumes that the tech titan is one of the handful of companies around the world that have stayed relevant through every phase of the internet since the 1990s.

The internet giant’s ability to continually adapt and evolve to changing consumer needs and business environments has been its hallmark and that is exactly what it brought to the edtech space in Indonesia.

Sensing an opportunity and a pressing need for its services amid the Covid-19 pandemic, Google had approached Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology in 2020 to offer help, thereby laying the seeds of its edtech empire in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

In our premium story pick today, Tech in Asia details how Google made the most of its window of opportunity to sit comfortably at the top of Indonesia’s edtech space.

Today we look at:

• The rise of Google Classroom in Indonesia
• Tech-enabled Chinese coffee brand steps out of bankruptcy
• Other newsy highlights such as the Philippines’ latest unicorn and the merger of a Singapore-based flexible-living firm with an European co-living brand

Also, if you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding, fill out this form to get your company featured on our list of fundraising startups.

On that note, this will be the last Daily Newsletter of the week, in light of Easter weekend. However, we will continue to keep you up to date through our themed newsletters, the Top Up and the Checkout, this week. We’re back in business on Monday, so until then, here’s wishing everyone a great week and Happy Easter!

Premium summary

Google’s edtech empire in Indonesia

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Google Classroom went from having 40 million users in 2020 to over 150 million users today. It would be easy to chalk this kind of explosive growth solely up to the Covid-19 pandemic. But that isn’t the whole story.

There is no denying that hordes of customers flocked towards digital services amid the pandemic, but digging a little deeper, it’s clear the tech titan has gone to great lengths to drive up the adoption of its apps.

Riding their luck

Quick bytes