Living Lab Ventures, the corporate venture capital (CVC) of Sinar Mas Land, plans to broaden its investment strategy by targeting more mature companies in the education, research, and healthcare sectors.
The move aligns with the company’s aim of building an integrated education and healthcare ecosystem within Sinar Mas Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) city.
Sinar Mas Land chief transformation officer Mulyawan Gani said the idea is to create a city where residents can study, live, work, and engage in daily activities seamlessly. The company has already fostered a digital ecosystem by attracting tech companies like Traveloka and Sirclo to establish offices within BSD city.
Sinar Mas Land is also developing an education ecosystem, with prominent universities such as Prasetya Mulya, Atma Jaya, and Bina Nusantara establishing campuses in BSD.
“We are also in the process of creating a healthcare ecosystem, so people can access services like plastic surgery, dialysis, and other medical treatments in BSD,” Gani added.
Living Lab Ventures partner Bayu Seto added that the venture capital firm has set up a biomedical fund to support healthcare investments and is considering bringing in a limited partner (LP) for this fund. Under this initiative, Living Lab Ventures is actively seeking startups in biomedical research, health technology, and related fields. “We are also looking to invest in hospitals, whether foreign or local, to establish a presence in BSD,” Seto said.
Given the maturity of hospitals and educational institutions, the investment ticket sizes will differ from those in tech startups. “While our ticket size is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for tech startups, we are looking at millions of dollars while investing in more established companies,” Seto explained.
Living Lab Ventures has also partnered with the New South Wales (NSW) government to attract Australian companies to Indonesia and enable domestic firms to tap the Australian market. As part of this collaboration, Living Lab Ventures recently announced its investment in the Australian firm Digital Classified Group (DCG), the parent company of the proptech firm Lamudi.
“We are set to announce another investment in an Australian tech company and are exploring opportunities in mature companies focused on research, education, or healthcare,” Seto noted.
Meanwhile, Indonesian companies are also keen to establish a presence in Australia, according to Yonathan Wijaya, NSW Trade and Investment Director. Currently, Traveloka and Privy already have offices there, and Yonathan expects three more Indonesian firms to follow.
Beyond Australia, Living Lab Ventures is helping connect Indonesian startups with Japanese counterparts under JETRO, to support their expansion into Indonesia. It has also partnered with the Berlin Chamber of Commerce and Industry to facilitate German companies entering the Indonesian market.
Living Lab Ventures focuses on tech startups in three key sectors: smart technologies, digital life, and mobility. Its portfolio includes companies like Traveloka, GoTo, DANA, Sirclo, GoWork, Jendela360, Social Bread, Artotel, and others.
