ACV Academy, Xendit, AWS launch playbook on BD and partnerships for startups
Published on March 24, 2023
Last week, Indonesia-based venture capital firm AC Ventures (ACV) held an in-person gathering to mark the launch of its latest playbook for tech founders titled, “Business Development & Partnerships,” produced by ACV Academy in collaboration with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and local fintech unicorn Xendit.
The gathering took place at XenSpace in South Jakarta and, in addition to the playbook launch, featured a sharing session with Yaw Yeo, Head of Growth at Xendit, and Naveen Asrani, Head of Strategic Growth at AWS. More than 70 local founders and tech leaders attended to network and learn from one another.
With a straightforward ethos of “Exponential Education,” ACV Academy seeks to help more tech startups in the region achieve early traction and scale. Since 2022, ACV has been on a bold mission to provide hands-on guidance and support to its portfolio companies across Indonesia. It is the only tech investment firm in the archipelago to offer a full-fledged value creation division to the companies it invests in. The underlying idea is that if ACV can help its portfolio companies achieve operational excellence from their early days, they can then go on to achieve greater success in the market.
Best practices for BD and partnerships
Business development (BD) involves identifying growth opportunities to reach new customers, with a crucial strategy being the formation of partnerships between companies, where they collaborate to achieve shared goals. In today’s landscape, partnerships and BD are critical tools for growth.
ACV Academy’s latest playbook delivers an in-depth look at BD and partnerships, unpacking why they’re so important for startups today, various partnership types, key strategies in the local market, the end-to-end process for setup and implementation, and how to manage them at every stage.
“Building strategic partnerships is critical for startups in Indonesia, as it allows them to collaborate with established players in the ecosystem, leveraging their expertise, networks, and resources to drive mutual growth and success,” explained Brena Budiarti, BD and Partnerships Lead at AC Ventures. “These collaborations provide startups with a competitive edge, access to new customers, and the ability to scale quickly.”
She added, “At AC Ventures, we believe that strong partnerships and effective business development strategies are must-haves for early-stage companies today. We are proud to launch this playbook with Xendit and AWS, which provides valuable insights and practical guidance for founders to build effective collaborations and accelerate growth.”
To download the playbook, please visit: https://acv.vc/resources/
ACV is a top Southeast Asian venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups focused on Indonesia and ASEAN, with over US$500 million in assets under management. The firm’s mission is to empower entrepreneurs with more than just capital by combining operational experience, industry knowledge, deep local networks, and resources. ACV’s team has invested in over 120 tech companies in the region since 2012. With a team of more than 35 professionals led by Adrian Li, Michael Soerijadji, Helen Wong, and Pandu Sjahrir, it has offices in Jakarta and Singapore.
