Happened in Indonesia: Bukalapak launches R&D centre, bike-sharing service in Bandung
The last week of January saw many great moves from some of the biggest tech startups in Indonesia, including Grab, Traveloka, and Telkomsel’s Tcash
Bukalapak launches R&D centre, bike-sharing service in Bandung – Press Release
On February 1, Indonesian e-commerce startup Bukalapak with Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) officially launched the Bukalapak-ITB Artificial Intelligence & Cloud Computing Innovation Center, a research laboratory for Indonesian students, lecturers, and researchers to focus on AI and cloud computing projects.
The R&D centre will be located at ITB campus in Bandung, West Java.
Students who have worked on projects at the R&D centre will have the opportunity to work in Bukalapak following graduation.
“Our greatest challenge at the moment is finding tech talents in the AI sector that is able to contribute for Indonesia. Bukalapak is working together with ITB in building the first AI research laboratory in Indonesia to help empower local talents in building their capacity,” Bukalapak Founder and CEO Achmad Zaky said in a press statement.
In addition to launching the R&D centre, the company also introduced its dockless bike-sharing service BukaBike. Operating since January 7 at ITB campus, the BukaBike service provides 25 bicycles that are available for students and lecturers for free.
To use the bike-sharing service, users only have to download and use the Bukalapak mobile app.
Grab appoints Neneng Goenadi as Managing Director – DailySocial
Also on February 1, Grab Indonesia named Neneng Goenadi as its new Managing Director.
She will replace Ridzki Kramadibrata who is now holding the position of President of Grab Indonesia.
As Managing Director, Goenadi will be in charge of improving and developing corporate services, particularly in the transportation sector.
Meanwhile, as President, Kramadibrata will focus on bridging the relationship between the company and the government, as well as arranging security and social impact strategy.
Prior to her appointment, Goenadi was the Country Managing Director of Accenture Indonesia.
Also Read: Happened in Indonesia: Tokopedia launches new app, Sikumis raises follow-on funding
Tcash rebrands to LinkAja – DailySocial
Telkomsel’s e-wallet app Tcash is set to rebrand to LinkAja starting on February 21.
LinkAja is a state-owned fintech company that is the result of a joint venture between telco operator Telkom, oil and gas company Pertamina, as well as four major banks Bank Mandiri, BRI, BNI, dan BTN.
The joint venture was set up as part of an effort to compete in Indonesia’s increasingly competitive cashless payment sector. It has also been rumoured to work with WeChat Pay and Alipay, and will be led by Tcash CEO Danu Wicaksana.
Tcash users will be automatically converted into LinkAja users starting on February 21.
Traveloka opens R&D centre in Bangalore – DailySocial
Indonesian traveltech giant Traveloka opened its new R&D centre in Bangalore, India, on January 28.
The R&D centre will be the company’s second one after the one it operates in Singapore, marking its first expansion outside of Southeast Asia.
Prior to this, outside of Indonesia, Traveloka already has presence in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, and the Philippines.
During the launch event, Traveloka Bangalore VP Engineering Prashant Verma stated that in the new centre, the team will work to prepare platforms and products which capable to provide experience and engagement for Traveloka users.
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Image Credit: Bukalapak
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