“Culture Future”: Digital renaissance of 267-year-old Mangkunegaran heritage supported by East Ventures

Over the past five years, digital acceleration and development in Indonesia have seen exponential growth due to government efforts, as well as all other stakeholders, who are increasingly encouraging digital transformation to seize the opportunities of Indonesia’s digital golden era. The East Ventures – Digital Competitiveness Index (EV-DCI) report shows a 35% score increase, from 27.9 in 2020 to 38.1 in 2024.

This time, we highlight Surakarta – often referred to as Solo – as our main character, a city in Central Java with a population of around 560,000. We see significant potential in improving digital competitiveness.

Why Solo?

Central Java ranks 10th out of 38 provinces, and Solo is one of the 30 highest-ranked cities in the EV-DCI 2024 report. This puts Solo in competition with much more densely populated cities such as Jakarta, Surabaya, Pontianak, and Jambi.

Many efforts have been initiated to improve digital literacy, such as infrastructure improvements that support strong internet signals (BTS towers), a large number of digitally literate students, and programs such as Solo Techno Park and Solo Smart City. In addition, this positive growth was also driven by local government regulations and the capacity to encourage digitalization, which increased from the previous year.

However, one equally important aspect of Solo is its strong cultural heritage, a hereditary legacy of Praja Mangkunegaran.

Praja Mangkunegaran is a royal monarchy on the island of Java, which was established in 1757. The reigning king of Mangkunegaran Solo is Kanjeng Gusti Mangkoenagoro X, Gusti Bhre Sudjiwo, who has been elected since 2022.

Public interest in Mangkunegaran’s cultural heritage is also growing with the recent surge of tourists visiting Pura Mangkunegaran, a tourist attraction in Solo.

Therefore, Mangkunegaran and the Solo City Government aggressively revitalize tourist attractions and hold educational programs that integrate local culture. Not only does this initiative embrace Solo’s rich identity and culture, but it also aims to create a strong foundation for harmonious social and economic movement.

East Ventures had the opportunity to co-host a Gala Dinner with Mangkunegaran as one of the agenda at the East Ventures Summit 2024 in Jakarta on 31 July, where Kanjeng Gusti Mangkoenagoro X introduced Mangkunegaran’s latest initiative, namely “Culture Future.”

Shaping today’s culture for the future

“Culture Future” emphasizes the importance of maintaining and developing cultural heritage in an ever-changing modern world.

“We believe that the Surakarta of the Future is the Surakarta of the Past, where we serve as the foundation to drive “Culture Future,” an initiative by Mangkunegaran to shape the present day based on our long tradition, history, and values, as the roots of empowerment for the future,” said Kanjeng Gusti Mangkoenagoro X, in His opening speech at the East Ventures Summit 2024.

Through the integration of technology and innovation, the Mangkunegaran hopes to preserve the noble values of the past while creating ecosystems and relevant cultural expressions for future generations. Mangkunegaran’s role is to provide a platform for various stakeholders to “collaborate, interact, learn, and create an adaptive culture through arts, crafts, education, and technology,” He continued.

Shaping today’s culture is not an easy feat. Various stakeholders, including the government, community, and private sector, must work in tandem to create a dynamic ecosystem.

Kanjeng Gusti Mangkoenagoro X added, “This collaboration enables the exchange of ideas, resources, and innovations needed to address the challenges of globalization and technological change. By leveraging modern technologies such as digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI), we can preserve cultural heritage while promoting new and relevant cultural expressions.”

Positive impact on all members of society

Through programs that empower MSMEs, revitalization of tourist attractions, and collaborations with various stakeholders, Mangkunegaran not only acts as a cultural center but also as a catalyst for social and economic change, which every member of society can directly benefit from.

With many strategic initiatives that also encourage technological innovation and create an ecosystem that supports young entrepreneurs, East Ventures is pleased to support the “Culture Future” mission to improve the quality of life in Solo through technology integration and ultimately attract more investment and talent from across the country. With East Ventures’ capabilities as Indonesia’s leading venture capital firm and our vast ecosystem, we are excited to collaborate and become Mangkunegaran’s Digital Partner.

One of the collaborations is the Mangkunegaran Digital Day, held on 19 August 2024, which coincides with Indonesia’s 79th Independence Day. Mangkunegaran, East Ventures, and Katadata invited several panelists to discuss “Solo Digital Hub: Paving the Way to a Sustainable Digital Center (Merintis Jalan Menuju Pusat Digital yang Berkelanjutan).”

Moreover, East Ventures was also involved in the creation of the Mangkunegaran website and mobile app, which was recently launched by Kanjeng Gusti Mangkoenagoro X. The public can easily access all historical information and activities that will be held at Mangkunegaran at mangkunegaran.id, and the application which can now be downloaded on the App Store and Play Store. In the future, we will continue to develop this platform further to promote Solo culture to a broader audience.

Solo is but one of many Indonesian cities with immense potential. The EV-DCI report, which has been released for five consecutive years since 2020, is a testament and reference for provincial and city governments to see the opportunities that can be taken to compete with other big cities. Collaboration between stakeholders, such as what you have seen today, must be extended to other provinces and cities to achieve digital sovereignty.

We believe in the spirit of collaboration and are excited about future partnerships that will realize digital sovereignty for all Indonesians.

---

The EV-DCI 2024 report can be downloaded at east.vc/DCI.