11 April 2019

The ways we enjoyed content like news and entertainment used to be limited to television, radio, magazines, and newspapers. This has changed. In today’s internet era, people prefer to view content on an internet-connected device, especially a smartphone. The types of content that they consume are also changing.

This revolution has opened up huge opportunities for young startups to enter and conquer the market. East Ventures has seen the potential of this sector since 2010 when it started to invest in several startups. Right now, there are five active media startups in our portfolio, with two of them in the growth stage.

IDN Media is the leading multi-platform media startup for Millennials and Gen Z in Indonesia. Its vision is to bring a positive impact to society – it wants to democratize access to accurate, balanced, useful, and positive information and ultimately, to become the voice of Millennials and Gen Z in Indonesia.

IDN Media operates IDN Times, Popbela.com, Popmama.com, Yummy, IDN Creative, IDN Event, and IDN Creator Network. Since 2016, it has successfully organized multiple nationwide events under IDN CreativeFest, BeautyFest, Indonesia Millennial Summit, and IDN Soundscape.

In January 2019, it raised a round of series C funding that was led by EV Growth (a joint venture between East Ventures, SMDV, and Yahoo! Japan).

Tech in Asia is a media, events, and jobs platform on a mission to build and serve Asia’s tech and startup community. You can keep abreast of the latest startup and tech developments, share your own thoughts, and find talent or relevant tech jobs on its website.

Its annual tech and startup conferences, bespoke corporate events, and community-led meetups encourage face-to-face engagement within the tech ecosystem.

It is trusted and backed by some of the largest VCs in the world like East Ventures and is an alumnus of the prestigious accelerator Y Combinator (W15).

Katadata is an Indonesian media startup that specializes in data analysis and business publications. Supported by experienced journalists and reliable analysts in the business and financial fields, Katadata is characterized by the strength and sharpness of its analysis. By combining these two forces, the company provides a wealth of credible information and data about the economy, business, and finance. It’s an indispensable reference source for business people, policymakers, and the media.

In August of 2018, the company received funding led by East Ventures.

Content Collision (C2) is a content marketing agency and technology company with a mission to build and serve the independent content creator ecosystem in Asia. Based in Jakarta, it helps brands and publishers tell stories to their target audiences in a way that’s informative and engaging.

Its specialties include performance-based PR, a variety of content creation offerings, as well as sponsored campaigns from the local blogger community. The company’s recently rolled-out platform ContentGrow is a new piece of technology that helps content agencies in Asia scale up their own operations by keeping out-of-house creative teams on brief, ahead of the deadline, in-the-know, and at your fingertips.

Built in San Francisco, Hoodline (Pixel Labs, Inc.) is a growing neighborhood news and information company supported by talented writers and deep technical expertise. It is currently in 40 cities and expanding further.

Hoodline’s goal is to figure out how the world around us actually works, via local data, local media, and partnerships. It is building the ‘nearby button’ of the internet, powering local discovery and helping users find the right information where it matters most.