Not Satisfied The New Jokowi Has 2,193 Startups In Indonesia

President Jokowi as Keynote Speech at the Indonesia Digital Economy Summit 2020 (doc. Kominfo)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said he was optimistic that Indonesia would be able to open more startups. According to him, Indonesia can become the leader of the digital economy in the world because it has great potential.

Jokowi explained that Indonesia has a capable ecosystem to develop startups in the last few years. Currently, Indonesia is in the 5th position in the world, after the United States (US), India, UK and Canada who are actively building startups.

"We have 2,193 startups, one decacorn, 4 unicorns, one of which I made as the founding minister (Mendikbud Nadiem Makarim, founder of Gojek)," said Jokowi, at the 2020 Digital Economy Summit held in Jakarta, Thursday, February 27. .

On social media, there are many stalls selling daily necessities. On Instagram, I have lots of advertisements for weight gain drugs. Addressed to me? That is the creativity of our society in the digital era. Indonesia is a country with the largest digital economy value in the ASEAN region. pic.twitter.com/qjUX6kSOpp

- Joko Widodo (@jokowi) February 27, 2020

Jokowi said that internet penetration in Indonesia in 2019 had reached 65 percent. In addition, currently there are 171 million internet users in Indonesia out of a population of 260 million.

Furthermore, Jokowi sees more and more startups being born but he wants these startups to produce products that not only contribute to the digital economy but also solve crucial problems in society.

"It is truly a very rapid growth. This potential must be exploited, but we should not just become a market. We also do not want to be spectators," added the iconic man in the white shirt.

When viewed from the map of the digital economy, Indonesia has significant potential for startup growth. According to Google's research, the valuation of Indonesia's digital economy is expected to continue to increase in the next few years.

On that occasion, the CEO of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, who also attended the event, expressed his pride in Indonesian youths who have succeeded in utilizing Microsoft technology. One of the heroes Nadella praised was Michael Sitorus, a 16 year old teenager from Ungaran, Central Java.

Join us today & watch the keynote from Microsoft CEO, @satyanadella LIVE at #MSDevCon Digital Economy Summit 2020.Tune in now to watch Microsoft CEO, @ satyanadella's keynote LIVE at #MSDevCon Digital Economy Summit 2020. # MSID25🇮🇩 https: / /t.co/Da56HGe9mx

- Microsoft Indonesia (@MicrosoftID) February 27, 2020

Michael managed to amaze Nadella by winning The Asia Pacific Top Coder 2018 competition. "He (Michael) immortalized Indonesian culture using Minecraft. Made the National Monument and Borobudur Temple to preserve Indonesia's rich history for future generations," said Nadella in a live broadcast. streaming the Digital Economy Summit.

Apart from Michael, Nadella also praised the work of designer Ria Miranda who used Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology to make her hijab collection. Also tech startups like Dicoding and Beehive Drone.

"The products they make can exemplify how technology can be used to solve pressing problems such as climate change, hunger and accessibility," concluded Nadella.

Seeing the many talented young talents that are growing. Nadella believes that Indonesia will become the country with the largest digital economy in the world in the next few years.