NICKO WIDJAJA

Nicko Widjaja is the CEO of BRI Ventures, a venture arm of Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BBRI), the country’s largest bank by assets.

An early tech investment pioneer, he has a career spans over 15 years in venture capital, corporate transformation, and startup ecosystem. He was formerly the CEO of MDI Ventures, a Telkom Indonesia backed venture capital, with investment in over 10 countries. Under his leadership, MDI Ventures become one of the most profitable venture capital firms in the region with two international IPOs (ASX and TSE) and six trade exits in just four years since inception.

Prior to MDI Ventures, he launched one of the first Indonesia venture funds in 2010 called Systec Ventures. He joined Telkom Indonesia’s Indigo Creative Nation as Managing Director before he co-wrote the investment thesis for MDI Ventures in 2014. He also works closely with various state-owned, advising on digital transformation initiatives across different sectors and industries.

His vast experience was complemented by his role at Indofood, the largest FMCG company in Indonesia, where he took on corporate transformation and organizational change. His exposure to startup ecosystem was provided by his beginner’s years in Silicon Valley (1999 - 2003) where he worked at multiple early stage startups.

He is also an adjunct professor at UPH Business School since 2010, where he is involved in the design of entrepreneurship and venture capital curriculum.

Throughout his career, he’s invested in more than 100 startups globally.