Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Indonesia's Tech Unicorns Struggle Amid Funding Shortage and Unclear Exit Strategies

 JAKARTA – Indonesia's unicorns, once seen as the rising stars of the tech world with valuations exceeding US$1 billion, are currently navigating a challenging landscape. In recent years, these companies have faced a tightening funding environment, leading some to see a significant decline in their market capitalization after going public.


Funding rounds, both for early-stage and late-stage companies, have become increasingly rare. When they do occur, they often happen at lower valuations, reflecting a broader market correction. According to Edward Ismawan Chamdani, treasurer of the Venture Capital and Start-up Indonesia Association (Amvesindo), this trend is the aftermath of a valuation bubble that burst around mid-2022. "There was too much capital chasing too few winners," Chamdani told The Jakarta Post on August 19.


Many companies, once buoyed by inflated valuations, now face intense scrutiny to prove their worth in a post-bubble era. As a result, some have had to raise additional funds at reduced valuations (down-rounds), while others, with limited capital reserves and shorter financial runways, struggle to secure further investments. This has forced them to cut costs, merge, or, in some cases, shut down.


The funding landscape has dramatically changed, with investments dropping to just US$400 million from 100 deals in the first half of last year, compared to US$3.3 billion from 302 deals in the same period of the previous year, according to the annual e-Conomy Southeast Asia report by Google, Temasek, and Bain & Company, released on November 1, 2023.


Jonathan Davy, CEO of venture builder Ecoxyztem, highlighted on August 20 that mergers and acquisitions (M&A) have yet to prove successful in Indonesia, with few notable examples to emulate. This lack of proven exit strategies has made it even harder for start-ups to plan their future paths.


Many start-ups, facing a lack of follow-up funding and fewer large investments, are being forced to pivot rapidly toward profitability. "We’re even seeing early Indonesian unicorns that have gone public now facing steep valuation drops as the market deems them overvalued," Davy noted.



The merger of Gojek and Tokopedia in 2021 to form GoTo, Indonesia's largest corporate merger, is a case in point. Gojek, Indonesia's first unicorn, achieved decacorn status (a valuation of more than $10 billion) by 2019. However, its valuation at the time of its IPO, which was projected to exceed Rp 400 trillion (around $28 billion in 2022 exchange rates), has since fallen to around Rp 57 trillion as of August 23, effectively stripping it of its decacorn status. In 2022, GoTo sold a 75 percent stake in Tokopedia to ByteDance’s TikTok for $1.8 billion.





Similarly, Bukalapak, Indonesia’s first unicorn to go public, was valued at $6 billion in 2021. However, its market capitalization had shrunk to just over Rp 12 trillion as of August 23, below the unicorn threshold.


One exception is PT Global Digital Niaga (Blibli), which saw its market cap rise to Rp 56 trillion by August 23, up from its initial IPO valuation of $3.4 billion in 2022.


Martin Aditya, an investment analyst at Capital Asset Management, pointed out on August 21 that investor confidence in GoTo has waned due to its low stock price and the exit of original shareholders and founders, despite reported improvements in its fundamentals earlier this year. "They should focus on the financial services unit," he suggested, adding that it’s difficult to rely solely on the company's on-demand services and e-commerce sectors.


CB Insights data shows that six new Indonesian unicorns emerged between 2021 and 2022, with four in the financial services sector. Overall, Indonesia now boasts more than a dozen unicorns, including those that have since lost that status. However, only about 646 of the country's estimated 10,000 start-ups have received funding, according to Tracxn's report for the first half of this year.


Despite these challenges, Kopital Kenangan cofounder Fandy Chandrajaya remains optimistic about the prospects for publicly listed tech firms. "GoTo is still a Rp 60-70 trillion company. It's not a decacorn now, but it will get back there eventually," he stated, believing the local tech industry is still in its growth phase.


Chandrajaya views the recent market correction as ultimately beneficial, especially with renewed interest from second-time investors. Although he acknowledges that limited exit opportunities and lower valuations could discourage businesses, he remains confident that strong companies will continue to thrive. "The numbers never lie. A good company is a good company in any market," he affirmed.

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

Wall Street Reaches New Highs in 2023 Following Inflation Data; Federal Reserve in Focus

In a significant turn of events, U.S. stocks concluded Tuesday's trading session at the highest levels of the year. Despite the release of inflation data, which had minimal impact on expectations for an imminent rate cut by the Federal Reserve, investors eagerly anticipated the central bank's final policy decision of the year scheduled for Wednesday.

The November Consumer Price Index (CPI) exhibited a 3.1% annual increase, aligning with projections from economists surveyed by Reuters. This modest rise was attributed to a decline in gasoline prices being offset by an upswing in rents. Core prices, excluding volatile elements like food and energy costs, also met expectations, displaying a 4% annual surge.


On a month-to-month basis, consumer prices inched up by 0.1% last month, contrasting with predictions of remaining unchanged.

Recent market sentiments had factored in a potential rate cut by the Federal Reserve as early as March. However, following the data release, traders adjusted their expectations, with May now emerging as the projected timing for the first rate cut since the central bank commenced its hiking cycle in March 2022.

Anticipation of a cut of at least 25 basis points in March receded to 43.7%, down from around 50% before the data release, as per the CME Group's FedWatch Tool. The market is presently estimating a 78% likelihood of a cut in May, up from approximately 75% on Monday.

Scott Wren, senior global market strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute in St. Louis, remarked, "The market is certainly assuming that inflation is going to keep coming down, that earnings in this next year are going to show some decent growth and the Fed is going to cut rates. The market is counting on more of a soft landing that would allow the Fed to ease up."

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (.DJI) climbed 173.01 points, or 0.48%, reaching 36,577.94, the S&P 500 (.SPX) gained 21.26 points, or 0.46%, closing at 4,643.70, and the Nasdaq Composite (.IXIC) advanced 100.91 points, or 0.70%, settling at 14,533.40.


Wren noted that stocks faced resistance at their yearly highs, expressing skepticism about a robust upward trend in the near-to-intermediate term.

Another factor contributing to subdued volatility was an upcoming options expiration at the end of the week. The S&P 500 had not experienced a move of 1% in either direction for 19 consecutive sessions, marking the lengthiest such streak since August.

Market participants eagerly anticipated the Producer Price Index (PPI) for another insight into inflation trends before turning their attention to the Federal Reserve's policy announcement at the conclusion of its two-day meeting on Wednesday. Additionally, the European Central Bank and the Bank of England are slated to deliver their policy decisions later in the week.

Oracle (ORCL.N) witnessed a significant decline of 12.44% after forecasting third-quarter revenue below estimates due to slowing demand for its cloud service.

Among the 11 major S&P sectors, Energy (.SPNY) emerged as the worst-performing, falling by 1.35% as crude prices settled nearly 4% lower. Conversely, the tech sector (.SPLRCT) stood out as one of the best-performing, registering its fourth consecutive session of gains to close at a record high of 3,344.07, on track for its most substantial yearly percentage gain since 2019.

Google-parent Alphabet (GOOGL.O) experienced a dip of 0.58% following Epic Games' victory in its high-profile antitrust trial against the company.

While advancing issues were roughly even with decliners on the NYSE, declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.3-to-1 ratio on the Nasdaq.

The S&P 500 posted 74 new 52-week highs and 2 new lows, while the Nasdaq recorded 198 new highs and 187 new lows.

Trading volume on U.S. exchanges amounted to 10.52 billion shares, slightly below the 10.95 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.

Netflix Users Playfully Taunt Elon Musk for Dispute over Tesla Scene in "Leave the World Behind"

Elon Musk is facing a wave of good-natured ribbing from Netflix users after the Tesla founder expressed discontent with a scene featuring his cars in the recently released film "Leave the World Behind."


The post-apocalyptic thriller, crafted by Sam Esmail, the creative mind behind Mr. Robot, premiered on Netflix on December 8, quickly ascending to the platform's top-watched charts. Adapted from Rumaan Alam's 2020 novel of the same name and produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, the film unravels a society grappling with the collapse of technological infrastructure.

Remarkably, Musk, seemingly yet to watch the film, responded to a Netflix clip, highlighting what he perceived as a plot inconsistency. In one scene, a married couple, portrayed by Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke, is pursued by driverless Teslas, resulting in a dramatic collision and a massive road pile-up.

Musk took to X/Twitter to assert,

Amused Netflix users swiftly responded, with one quipping,

"This guy didn't watch the movie,"
while another suggested,
"Elon should rewatch the movie."
An additional subscriber humorously remarked,
"Best thing about Leave the World Behind is it triggered Elon."

Writer-director Esmail joined in the banter by sharing Musk's post and simply stating,

"My movie LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND is now streaming on Netflix."

As of now, "Leave the World Behind" has outpaced the Christmas comedy "Family Switch" in Netflix's most-watched rankings. Despite some controversy surrounding the recent release of "Family Switch," which included a joke about an "incestuous" kiss, both films are available for streaming on Netflix.

Sunday, April 26, 2020

Circus Business in India Hit by Covid-19 Pandemic


Circus has become a 'dying' art performance in India, even before the arrival of the corona virus pandemic (covid-19). When co-19 began to plague throughout India, the circus business in the country was getting worse.

Biju Pushkaran, 50, was wearing polka-dot dress. Her face was covered with white powder, with flushed red cheeks and extra stick. After all the preparations were finished, he entered an empty tent in Airoli, a suburb in the city of Mumbai.

 
Rambo Circus, where Biju works, has not performed since March 6. But on Thursday night April 16th, Rambo Circus broadcast their show via livestreaming in commemoration of World Circus Day.
"We will be at your house and make you all laugh," Biju said, quoted by the BBC, Saturday 25 April 2020.

All Rambo Circus personnel performed attractions without the applause of the audience. But in the middle of the show, they realized that the Rambo Circus attraction might end forever.

Rambo Circus personnel had run out of food and money shortly after the Indian Government adopted a lockdown policy on March 24. Some of them are forced to ask for help to the public.

In the state of West Bengal, Chandranath Banerjee, 61, has closed Olympic Circus and asked 75 of its personnel to return to their homes. He promised to call back all personnel if they all "can survive in the midst of this dark period."

"They are crying," Chandranath said. "We need people to come and watch the show. With this kind of isolation we are forced to stop," he continued.

Jayaprakasan PV, 52, manager of the Great Bombay Circus, refused to surrender. He still set up circus tents as usual in the city of Manargudi, in the state of Tamil Nadu.

"Everyone does not know what will happen when the lockdown is revoked. Right now we can only wait," Jayaprakasan said. 

About two decades ago, India had 23 active circus groups joined in a national federation. About 300 other small-scale circus groups are also scattered across India.

In 2013, the Government of India banned the use of wild animals and children in circus shows. The ban made many circus groups bankrupt.

At present there are less than 10 circus groups registered in India, with another 25 smaller scale. There are also around 1,500 artists, including the acrobatics team, who are from the state of Manipur.

They have asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide loan funds in order to stay afloat amid the co-19 pandemic. Currently they are still waiting for the government's response.

A similar situation also occurs in other regions. The world-renowned circus group, Cirque du Soleil, became a global spotlight after laying off 95 percent of its total personnel last month.

Zsuzsanna Mata, executive director of the World Circus Federation (FMC), said that "the pandemic (covid-19) has changed history. Without income, the circus business is striving hard to continue to support its personnel and their families."

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Make Money While You Sleep (An Offer)



We often hear the phrase: 

Money doesn't just grow on trees and there is no instant way to become rich in just one night.  

That is indeed true.  
But that does not mean you can not increase the amount of money you have. As long as you want you can certainly continue to grow your money.  

One way to double your money coffers is by INVESTING, instead of reducing your expenses. Although life-saving can help your finances, investing is the best and safe way that will have a big impact on your financial condition, especially in the future.

With investing, your money coffers will increase each time. To get started, you don't have to wait until you're rich and have a lot of money in your savings account. In fact, you can start with little capital.

Start Investing From Now


Start investing your money in various forms of business as early as possible. This must be done so that you get more income in the future. For example, you have Rp1,000,000 and store it in your piggy bank. 

At present, the Rp1,000,000 you can use to buy 1 gram of gold jewelry. However, in the next 10 years, you will only be able to buy jewelry made from plastic materials. This is due to inflation. Inflation is an increase in prices in general and continuously within a certain period.

Meanwhile, if you invest your money, for example in the stock exchange, deposits, peer to peer lending, or mutual funds, the minimum interest you earn per month is around 5% (depending on the company or bank chosen), thereby increasing the value of your money by Rp50,000 to Rp1,050,000 every month.


Prepare Capital for Investment


Remember the general facts that apply to each type of investment: 

The more you invest, the longer you invest, the more your income. 

Well, to start it, you should prepare a special budget. A special budget here is that you have to set aside other money outside the money used for daily needs.

If you cannot set aside large amounts of money due to limited funds, you can start small amounts. At present, investment, such as mutual funds or peer to peer lending, allows you to start with a nominal value of Rp 100,000.


Choose Investment According to Financial Conditions

When investing activities, there are three factors that affect the optimal or not return (return) you in the future. These three factors are capital, risk and objective.

As explained earlier, capital is used to start various types of investments. This type of investment can be in the form of stock exchanges, deposits, bonds, peer to peer lending, and others.

Then there is risk. Before you start investing, potential investors should know the ins and outs of the investment you want to do in order to make wise decisions based on how much risk you dare to take.

However, it should be remembered that a wise attitude in this case is being able to reduce the risk of loss that might occur in the future, rather than taking a large risk for a large return or return.

Next is the goal. Before you begin, first determine your goals. So, by knowing how much the desired target, the length of time it has, the purpose of investment will make it easier for you to allocate your funds.

However, it should be underlined that this activity requires sacrifice in the present for more results in the future. So you have to be patient and consistent with your investment.


Investment Risk

Most of everyone's biggest fear is losing money. It is understood that investment is not 100% safe. However, you don't need to be afraid of losing your money.

One step you can take to avoid the risk of loss or loss of capital money is not to put all your money in one type of investment at a time. The following risks are commonly associated with investment:


How To Start Investing


There are various kinds of investments available in Indonesia and can be accessed easily. Every investment has advantages and disadvantages of each. The price range and the risks are certainly different.



One of them is the investment opportunity that we want to offer. Investing in forex or foreign exchange in the currency market can be an exciting hobby and a very profitable source of income. So many profit opportunities that we can get from the forex market in 24 hours for 5 days without stopping. You can get a profit of 7% every month that you can directly enjoy or use every month or it can also increase your capital so that profits multiply at the end of the period you want. You can access every capital development progress that you have invested transparently through special access for Investors directly from your mobile phone anytime, anywhere.

If you are interested and want to know more details about this investment opportunity please contact us via WhatsApp at number: 08816659981 or by email at: erastmedia@gmail.com