Telkomsel Mitra Inovasi (TMI), the corporate venturing arm of Telkomsel, the mobile network subsidiary of Indonesia-headquartered telecommunications operator Telkom Indonesia, named Marlin Siahaan chief executive last month.
Siahaan replaces Andi Kristianto, who had been CEO of TMI since mid-2019 having been with Telkomsel for almost two decades in several senior positions.
Before joining TMI, Siahaan had been Indonesia-based country manager for Waze, an interactive navigation app owned by internet technology provider Google, for three and a half years from 2018, after spending a similar amount of time before that as general manager of digital advertising at Telkomsel.
Her new job entails Siahaan identifying strategic collaboration opportunities between TMI-backed entrepreneurs and Telkomsel in areas including the internet of things and cybersecurity, she told DealStreetAsia, adding that some of its growth-stage portfolio companies are exploring initial public offerings or reverse mergers.
Siahaan intends to help TMI raise a second vehicle this year that will maintain its early stage-focus but raise its $1m-to-$2m ticket size to up to $4m per deal. Its first fund has backed 15 companies since it was formed in 2019 with $40m of capital.
Photo of Marlin Siahaan courtesy of LinkedIn.
