The Big Picture: Gita Wirjawan of Ancora Group

"I try to spend every day...with somebody who is in the tech space," comments Pak Gita Wirjawan. This week's guest to the Indo Tekno Podcast brings to bear insights from a sweeping career which ranges from government service at the highest levels, to extensive involvement in Indonesia's tech ecosystem as entrepreneurial investor and mentor.Most widely known as Indonesia's Minister of Trade from 2011 to 2014, Gita Wirjawan reflects on the broad tapestry of interests that he began to weave from early youth; from winning golf tournaments while living with family in Bangladesh at the age of 13, to his appearance on no less than 14 albums regaling audiences as an award-winning jazz performer during his stint in the US. Gita's greatest passion centers on education. His Ancora Foundation has a mission of helping both early stage education and graduate studies for talented Indonesians. Gita also mentors a large number of Indonesia's rising "technopreneurs" on a daily basis. Some of his conversations with young leaders of Indonesia's tech world are featured on Gita's popular podcast "Endgame."Gita remains extremely optimistic about Indonesia's longer term economic prospects, but differs with some of his peers in his belief that digging out of the COVID crater may take multiple years, not months. Gita is hopeful that the new Omnibus Law will benefit Indonesia's tech sector, and more broadly help lift the country from current levels of $91 worth of FDI (foreign direct investment) per capita, closer those of Malaysia ($270) or Singapore ($19,000).(Transkrip Bahasa Indonesia di sini)...