Alvin Evander is VP of Strategy and Sustainability at MDI Ventures. They’re an Indonesia-based VC backed by Telkom Indonesia, the largest State-owned Telco. They’ve invested in 90+ companies globally since 2016, focused on harnessing corporate synergy to deliver measurable impact.

Before MDI, he used to be a startup founder. He shared that it didn't work out, so he decided to help other founders by joining MDI Ventures.

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👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

We invest in tech companies and startups.

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🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

My day is not just about meeting Startups and VCs. Because we're a State-owned VC, we have to manage many stakeholders from our parent company (Telkom Indonesia), other SOEs, and the Government Ministry, too.

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🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Working together with Kominfo (Ministry of ICT Indonesia) to host the largest Corporate-Startup matchmaking event in Indonesia (Hub.id x Nex-BE Fest 2023) with over 130+ Startups and 130+ Business Partners (Corporate, SOEs & Government)

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🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Sustainability and Climate tech. We believe there is a lot of untapped potential in this sector and Indonesia is such a big market for the Climate theme. With a lot of Corporates and are moving into this direction too, it will be very interesting!

Personally, I'm also very interested in Web3 and Blockchain. I believe this sector is going to be the future of finance. We aren’t investing in the web3 space yet though!

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💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry?

Be humble, try to meet with as many people as you can. Be open and keep learning from others (whether it’s VCs or Founders). And always treat startup founders with respect, no matter what you think of their pitches.

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🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours?

Scaling companies and impact through strategic synergy with corporates.

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🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show?

House of Cards and Silicon Valley

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Maybe Vanilla at Häagen-Dazs? I like simple flavors for my ice cream.

FYI. We've edited this interview for clarity.