📌 MAROKO133 Eksklusif startup: Living Lab Ventures doubles down on innovation 🇯🇵,
Dear subscriber,
The past week have brought a wave of momentum across Indonesia’s innovation and digital economy. New cross-border partnerships and funding—from Living Lab Ventures’ Japan Thematic Fund to VENTENY’s social-impact investments—highlight how collaboration and purpose are shaping the next phase of growth. At the same time, companies like Grab, Blibli, and Telkomsel are proving that scale and technology remain central to market leadership, from profitability milestones to AI integration. The fintech, e-commerce, and digital infrastructure sectors continue to attract global attention, while online consumption shows no signs of slowing—BPS reported a 6.19% rise in e-commerce spending in Q3, with record-breaking campaigns already setting the tone for year-end optimism.
Best regards,
The DailySocial Team
What’s New
1. Living Lab Ventures launches Japan‐Thematic Fund
Living Lab Ventures, based in Indonesia, has launched a new “Japan Thematic Fund” in partnership with Japan’s Cool Japan Fund and other backers. The fund is designed to help startups from Japan and Southeast Asia access capital, cross-border business connections, and real-world trial opportunities. For the Indonesian market this means more chances for local ventures to link up with Japanese firms, transfer technology, and expand beyond domestic boundaries.
2. Grab Holdings posts strong Q3 2025 revenue growth
Grab recorded Q3 2025 revenue of US$873 million, a 22% increase from last year, marking another profitable quarter with US$17 million in net profit. Growth was fueled by strong demand across its ecosystem — on-demand services rose 24%, deliveries jumped 23% to US$465 million, and financial services surged 39%. The company also achieved US$136 million in adjusted EBITDA, up 51% year-on-year, supported by steady operational efficiency. With US$7.4 billion in cash reserves, Grab continues to strengthen its position as one of Southeast Asia’s leading digital platforms, reflecting the region’s growing reliance on ride-hailing, delivery, and payment services.
3. Grab–GoTo Merger Talks: State Palace Confirms Negotiations
Indonesia’s State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi confirmed that Grab and GoTo are in the process of negotiating a potential merger, which could lead to the creation of a single entity combining both platforms. The state-owned investment management agency Danantara is reportedly involved in the discussions to oversee the corporate asset arrangements. The merger plan is also being reviewed as part of a draft Presidential Regulation that will set clearer rules on the status, protection, and fare structure for online drivers and delivery partners.
4. VENTENY Secures Dual Funding to Advance Financial Inclusion and Women’s Empowerment
VENTENY Fortuna International (VTNY) has secured two new funding rounds to strengthen its mission of promoting financial inclusion and worker welfare in Indonesia. The company received US$5.5 million from the Women’s Livelihood Bond 7 (WLB7), managed by Impact Investment Exchange (IIX), to expand working-capital financing for women-led MSMEs in underserved regions. Around the same time, VENTENY also gained strategic investment from Japan’s Better Place Co. Ltd., aimed at enhancing its B2B financing services and employee well-being programs through the VENTENY Employee Super App. With this support, the company plans to scale up financing for MSMEs, improve employee wellness benefits, and build a more inclusive and sustainable business ecosystem.
5. Living Lab Ventures Invests in INCREASE to Strengthen Indonesia’s Clinical Research Ecosystem
Living Lab Ventures (LLV), the corporate venture arm of Sinar Mas Land, has made a strategic investment in INCREASE Laboratorium Indonesia, a clinical research and laboratory services company based in BSD City. The funding will help INCREASE expand operations, build global partnerships, and obtain international certifications such as CAP and ISO standards. INCREASE already works with partners in Singapore, Australia, China, and Japan, including Tsinghua University and Osaka University, to advance technology transfer and local talent development.
What’s Exciting
1. Telkom Indonesia earns from data-centre business with high utilisation
Telkom Indonesia’s subsidiary has reported strong demand in its data-centre business, with utilisation reaching 89 % in the third quarter. Although revenue was slightly down compared to the year before, the high utilisation suggests robust growth potential for Indonesia’s digital infrastructure sector. It offers local companies opportunities in services, infrastructure, partnerships and talent development.
2. YouTube Festival 2025 proclaims Indonesia as growth hub
YouTube’s Festival 2025 has declared Indonesia as its next growth centre, recognising the large audience, creator ecosystem and market potential. For Indonesia this is significant: it underlines that digital content creation, influencers, video marketing and creator economy are sectors to watch and invest in. It creates new opportunities for local talent, brands and platforms to tap into global attention from within Indonesia. The festival’s focus may also bring more…
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🔗 Sumber: dailysocial.id
📌 MAROKO133 Eksklusif startup: Green pilots & capitals emerge 🌱. Komdigi tight
Dear subscribers,
This week’s roundup brings a wave of momentum across Southeast Asia’s tech and innovation landscape. From fresh climate-tech funding in Indonesia and Vietnam, to QRIS preparing cross-border expansion, and regulators tightening digital compliance, the region is buzzing with activity. Southeast Asia is entering 2025 with stronger infrastructure, sharper innovation, and growing global relevance.
We are also excited to invite you to an exclusive event: Indonesia Food Resilience Forum 2025. This forum will bring together key stakeholders to discuss innovative steps towards a sustainable food future for Indonesia.
Secure your spot at this strategic discussion by registering here: https://luma.com/75o04yki.
Best regards,
The DailySocial Team
🚨 What’s New
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The Indonesian-Australian partnership KINETIK announced that five climate-tech startups from its KINETIK NEX programme have been awarded pilot‐funding after pitching at the [RE]Spark 2025 festival in Jakarta. KINETIK The winners, ranging from inclusive electric-mobility and solar water systems to solar-powered sago processing in remote Papua, will implement their innovations using a pooled fund of approximately IDR 1.6 billion. KINETIK The initiative underlines the focus on locally led green innovation across Indonesia’s diverse geographies.
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Vietnamese VC firm Touchstone Partners has launched a US $10 million “Green Transition Fund” targeting early-stage climate tech startups throughout Southeast Asia. The fund exemplifies the region’s growing appetite for sustainability-driven venture capital and aligns with global net-zero ambitions. Deployment is anticipated to begin in December 2025.
👏 What’s Exciting
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Indonesia’s digital payments system, the QRIS (Quick Response Code Indonesia Standard), is set to expand cross-border into China and South Korea by 2026, according to Bank Indonesia. This move signals a major shift toward integrated regional payment infrastructure, enabling Indonesian consumers and merchants to transact seamlessly abroad.
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The Indonesian regulatory authority Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital (Komdigi) has threatened to block services such as ChatGPT and Cloudflare, Inc. for failing to register as private electronic system providers (PSE) under national law. The notification issued covers 25 organisations, signalling heightened digital-sovereignty enforcement in Indonesia’s tech ecosystem. Non-registration could lead to service termination, putting major global platforms on notice.
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Logistics player J&T Express reported a record surge in parcel volumes during the year-end peak season: +78 % year-on-year in Southeast Asia and +83 % in new markets. The boom underscores sustained e-commerce momentum and logistical scaling across the region. Riders, fulfilment centres and tech infrastructure are all under pressure as growth accelerates.
Fazpass is positioning its Intelligent Authentication (FIA) as the future of OTP verification by addressing core business challenges with a shift to a Monthly Active User (MAU) pricing model. This approach offers companies predictable costs with unlimited OTPs, moving away from the variable, per-message charges of traditional vendors. Coupled with AI-driven authentication designed to improve success rates and reduce user friction, Fazpass aims to provide a more scalable, secure, and cost-effective verification solution for businesses in 2026 and beyond.For more capability information: https://fazpass.com.🚀 What’s Next
The 2025 Global Startup Ecosystem Report by Startup Genome highlights Southeast Asia’s accelerating momentum, with Jakarta jumping four positions to become the world’s #2 Emerging Startup Ecosystem. Unlike other climbers, Jakarta’s rise wasn’t driven by a major exit. Wuxi climbed to #1 after a 67% surge in $50M+ exits, and Riyadh leapt rankings thanks to rasan.co’s $1.1B exit. Jakarta’s improvement instead reflects broader, steady strengthening across early-stage activity, a rare organic shift in today’s exit-driven landscape.
