What is there to say about the past year in Indonesia’s tech space? What actually happened? Quite a bit, in fact. For starters, the government decided to turn Indonesia’s population of cyberattackers into a positive asset when the ministry of defense held a nationwide hacking competition to boost the country’s own cybersecurity.
Additionally, Taiwan’s Foxconn signed a letter of intent to build a factory in the archipelago and invest around US$1 billion over the next three to five years. Local conglomerate Sinar Mas gave US$12.7 million to Ardent Captial for its ecommerce initiatives, GrabTaxi threw its hat into Jakarta’s transport-tech ring, and local classifieds giant TokoBagus rebranded as OLX. But those aren’t even the biggest stories of the year.
With international startups and investors beginning to take a more serious look at Indonesia’s market potential, it’s important to note that 2014 was a year in which Indonesia grew by leaps and bounds. If this year’s Startup Asia Jakarta was any indicator, the country’s tech scene is not showing signs of slowing down. So what were the biggest tech moments of the last 12 months? In no particular order, here are 14 we’ve selected.
1. Bakrie Group invests in Path
In January, Indonesia’s Bakrie Group led a US$25 million series C investment round in Dave Morin’s social network, Path. A lot of people vented frustration about how Path has now tied itself to a controversial conglomerate. Nevertheless, the news came as the premiere major investment by an Indonesian group in a Silicon Valley company.
2. Indonesian citizen convicted of libel on Twitter
Local Twitter user Benny Handoko was sentenced to 12 months probation after the courts found him guilty of posting libelous comments against a politician in the country. The tweet in question was published two years prior to the conviction.
The case was not the first of its kind in the archipelago, but it grabbed the national spotlight this year and sparked a deeper public debate surrounding the imperfect nature of the nation’s Electronic Information and Transaction law.
3. KapanLagi merges with Fimela to become largest online media
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