Two weeks ago, Tech in Asia Jakarta 2018 hosted a total of 5,227 startups, corporates, investors and the wider tech community. In addition to networking opportunities with stakeholders in Indonesia’s tech ecosystem, attendees also walked away with tons of learnings and insights on how to bring their companies to the next level.
If you missed the conference, besides catching up on our coverage of the event, here’s a quick overview on what the action-packed two days looked like.
Tech in Asia Jakarta got off to a good start, with seasoned investors from Insignia Ventures Partners, International Finance Corporation and Qiming Venture Partners weighing the pros and cons of startups partnering with investors.
From L: Pravan Malhotra of International Finance Corporation, Helen Wong of Qiming Venture Partners, Aaron Tan of Insignia Ventures Partners, with moderator Agung Bezharie Hadinegoro of Warung Pintar / Photo credit: Tech in Asia
Grab’s CTO, Theo Vassilakis, also shared how working at the company allowed him to use tech to improve the lives of others, a personal mission that resonated with him.
His advice to data scientists and developers: get behind something you believe in, have a customer-first mentality, and be open-minded when it comes to collaboration.
Photo credit: Tech in Asia
Abheek Anand, managing director of Sequoia Capital, then took the stage and shared about the huge potential Southeast Asia holds.
'Burn the ship'. That's the kind of mindset we came to Southeast Asia with six years ago. There is so much potential in #ASEAN, which will look dramatically different in 10 years, or even 5 years from now, as the rate of change continues to accelerate: @abheek at #TIAJKT2018. pic.twitter.com/nHR2HoJp1R
— Sequoia_India (@Sequoia_India) October 23, 2018
Meanwhile, exhibitors at Startup Factory were eagerly sharing their solutions to the keen crowd. 280 up-and-coming startups showcased their products across the two days – view the breakdown and demographics here.
Day 1 – Exploring the global opportunities at @techinasia!! The best tech conference for entrepreneurs, startups, investors & the tech community. @unliche_mobile #JakartaConventionCenter #JCCevents #TIAJKT2018 #techinasia#exhibition #conference #startup #technology #digital pic.twitter.com/evEUGeQw3B
— Unliche Analytics (@unliche_mobile) October 23, 2018
Meanwhile, at the Rinjani Stage, VCs from Sequoia Capital, Modalku and Openspace Ventures discussed and dished out tips on how founders can grow beyond Series B.
“Not all money is the same. It is easy to get money if you’re a good company, but hard to get from the people you really want … who you pick matters.” @modalkuid’s Reynold Wijaya on fundraising #TIAJKT2018 pic.twitter.com/ttzPb3CKl7
— Tammie (@tammiesiew) October 23, 2018
Over at the Kerinci Stage, Dianne Gayatri Rajaratnam from United Nations Better Than Cash Alliance advised organizations on how they can build responsible digital payment services.
Our #AsiaPacific Lead, @DianneRaj discusses the importance of building responsible #digitalpayments services to create an #inclusive ecosystem for everyone, especially #women at the #TIAJKT2018. #SDGs #SDG5 pic.twitter.com/lFU4z0FzaQ
— Better Than Cash (@BetterThan_Cash) October 23, 2018
One of our attendees summarized the eventful Day 1 into a nifty image. Props to this amazing sketch!
Tech in Asia Jakarta 2018 Day#1 Sketchnotes #TIAJKT2018 pic.twitter.com/RDAZDxNHoL
— Steven Sutantro (@Steven_Sutantro) October 23, 2018
The next day kickstarted with John Fitzpatrick, head of Google Cloud’s Startup Program in Asia as he shared four elements that make up the “secret sauce” to hyperscale.
Photo credit: Tech in Asia
SOSV’s William Bao Bean also gave his take on the right exit strategy for startups, and shared how the IPO route may not be for everyone.
From L: Yoriyuki Sugiyama of Tokyo Stock Exchange, Teddy Oetomo of Bukalapak, William Bao Bean of SOSV, with moderator Natali Ardianto of EmasDigi / Photo credit: Tech in Asia
At our expert stages, action was also in full swing. The audience at Semeru Stage were whipping out their phones to ensure they didn’t miss the nuggets of wisdom shared by Antonius Adang, CFO of aCommerce.
In the meantime, at the Kerinci Stage, the atmosphere was also buzzing with expectancy.
On my way to day 2 of #TIAJKT2018. It the first day was an indication, today should be a stunner! pic.twitter.com/2vpw6qOhVg
— Nico (@NicoAtienza) October 24, 2018
Soon, the much anticipated, nail-biting Arena pitch battle began. Six startups were each given five minutes to pitch their ideas to the judges.
Photo credit: Tech in Asia
Congratulations to Singapore-based video platform Uiza for emerging as the champion, and taking home Rp 50 million (US$3,300)!
Photo credit: Tech in Asia
Lastly, a huge thank you to our sponsors, partners, volunteers and attendees. This conference could not have been possible without you, and we hope you enjoyed the conference as much as we did!
With our last conference of the year done and dusted with, we’re now setting our sights on preparations for next year to bring you a bigger and better show. Stay tuned!
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Editing by Cheong Hui Min
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