Indonesian start-ups to watch in 2016

This year belonged to on-demand apps like Go-Jek and GrabTaxi. Which start-ups are set to make it big in Indonesia in 2016? Tech in Asia finds out

Edtech: Ruangguru

Indonesia’s education system is, regretably, one of the worst in the world. Indonesian students tend to rank low in literacy, test results, and graduation rates when compared to other nations. Reforming a flawed education system takes years, and it’s likely parents won’t wait that long.

This is where Ruangguru comes in. The edtech start-up has come a long way since it launched in April 2014. Its initial premise was to connect tutors with students, but it has grown into a comprehensive portal for online and offline courses as well as online test preparation.

Funding-wise, the start-up is more than ready to rumble in 2016. It raised a seed round in 2014, and just raked in a 'seven-digit' series A funding round from Venturra Capital.

Assisted ecommerce: Kudo

Kudo is one of those start-ups I believe to be on the precipice of a major breakthrough. Only few local start-ups are tackling assisted ecommerce and Kudo may be the strongest contestant at the moment. It helps bridge the gap between major ecommerce companies and the rural population by working with a network of agents.

Forms of assisted ecommerce are being tested by major companies like Flipkart in India. With large parts of Indonesia’s population still lagging behind in digital literacy, I see solid potential for this model here.

Kudo raised a series A round in April from a host of investors, among them Emtek Group. 2016 will be the year for the start-up to grow its network and prove it can boost ecommerce sales in areas which might otherwise be excluded.

This is an excerpt from Tech in Asia. You can read the full article here.