Less Back-Slapping, More Profit-Making: Martyn Terpilowski of BVT

Martyn Terpilowski joins us for the final Indo Tekno episode of 2022. The Founder of Bhumi Varta Technology, Martyn discusses the challenges of building a leading start-up in the deep tech space in Indonesia, and sees wins with major accounts such as Astro as testament to BVT's strengths in digital mapping and other "less sexy" enterprise-oriented technologies. Martyn takes exception with what he perceives as having been a prevailing culture of "back-slapping" within the tech and VC world in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. This very insular world, as he sees it, has failed to question an unhealthy fixation on "growth-at-all-costs" amongst even the highest profile of start-ups. In today's more treacherous global macro environment, Martyn is concerned that we could see an implosion across Southeast Asia's tech world on par with the "dotcom bust" at the turn of the millennium.