East Ventures appoints Indonesian politician as advisor

Triawan was head of the creative economy agency, Bekraf, from 2015 to 2019 and currently serves as an honorary advisor to the Tourism & Creative Economy Ministry. He is also the president commissioner of Garuda Indonesia, the country's flag-carrier airline.

Venture-related initiatives set up under his leadership include Developer Day, an entrepreneurial conference series, Game Prime, a B2B and B2C gaming event, and Indonesia's first national e-sports tournament. Additional experience includes work with GoStartup, a mentoring program, and Coding Mum, a computer training service for mothers, as well as organizations supporting film financing and fashion and design trend forecasting.

"During his tenure as the head of Bekraf, Mr. Triawan was known for his friendliness and practicality," Willson Cuaca (pictured right), a co-founder and managing partner at East, said in a statement.  "Indonesia's creative economy reached the highest point among Southeast Asian countries, and Bekraf's team laid a strong foundation for the 16 pillars of Indonesia's creative economy. Mr. Triawan shares similar values with East Ventures."

Founded in 2010, East operates across offices in Jakarta, Singapore, Tokyo and San Francisco. It claims to have invested in hundreds of companies across Southeast Asia and Japan, most of which have gone on to raise follow-on rounds. Last year, the firm closed its sixth fund at $75 million, having initially targeted $30 million. Recent activity in building out the Indonesia team includes the promotion of Melisa Irene as a partner.

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• Topics
• Southeast Asia
• GPs
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• Indonesia
• East Ventures
• Appointments