In recognition of our archipelago’s plurality of faiths and ethnicities, Indonesians get all major religious holidays off. Things are quieting down in Jakarta as Christmas approaches, and it’s time to reminisce.
What were Indonesia’s biggest tech stories this year? Here’s my pick, in roughly chronological order.
February: MatahariMall enters with a bang
No doubt, 2014 belonged to Tokopedia with its record-breaking US$100 million investment announcement. Earlier this year, Indonesian conglomerate Lippo Group stole the show. It announced plans for its own ecommerce mega-venture, MatahariMall.
In February, Lippo said it would invest US$500 million into the initiative, with a launch scheduled for March. Then the actual launch was delayed and delayed… until the site finally went live in September. It also came to light that the US$500 million investment announcement was a bit of a bluff, because the money Lippo claimed to have earmarked was still being allocated.
It was the opposite of a stealth mode entrance. MatahariMall was a hot topic of conversation (and the butt of some jokes) this year. It’s not a joke anymore though. The venture has assembled top-tier talent and will be a force to be reckoned with in Indonesia’s ecommerce future.
March: Adplus acquisition
Nobody really likes adtech. It’s complicated and delivers products people never asked for. Unsexy image aside, it’s a silent winner in Indonesia’s digital business landscape. In March, local adtech company Adplus got acquired by Korea’s Yello mobile, one of the few acquisitions we saw this year.
Other adtech highlights were a joint venture of mobile phone carrier Indosat-Ooredoo and Smaato, and Adplus competitor Adskom raising a series A round from Geniee.
Adtech was hot in 2015 because Indonesia’s digital ad spendings are growing at a faster pace than the rest of the APAC region. If you’re not in on it by now, you’re probably too late.
April: KapanLagi acquisition
In April, Singaporean media conglomerate MediaCorp acquired KapanLagi Network. Unfortunately, the terms of the deal were not disclosed.
What we know is that MediaCorp snapped up 52 percent of one of the most mature and successful online media companies in the archipelago. The move won them access to millions of Indonesian readers. KapanLagi Network spans news portals and more specific sites that target men, women, car enthusiasts, and soccer fans. In return, KapanLagi now has pan-Asian reach, and can benefit from its new parent company’s resources and expertise.
July: ‘Local content rule’ for smartphones is official
After much back and forth the so called “local content rule” for smartphones was made official in Indonesia in July.
August: Go-Jek’s mass hiring event
October: Angel EQ – Indonesia’s budding angel investors
October: the rise of Venturra Capital
October: Paraplou calls it quits
October: President cancels Silicon Valley tour
November: Bhinneka raises $22m, eyes IPO
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