LINE acquires Indonesian startup TemanJalan

• Startup acquisition boosts LINE’s chatbot development capabilities
• Continues efforts to increase local capacity and develop talent

LINE Indonesia announced on Nov 23 that it has acquired TemanJalan, a local startup that specialises in chatbot development.

The deal officially finalised on Nov 17, and the startup’s members have already been added to LINE’s local operations.

Before joining LINE, TemanJalan had tried developing its application on several platforms; however, once they added the LINE platform, TemanJalan found usage soared dramatically. In fact, LINE enjoyed 70 times more daily successful transactions compared to other platforms, with an especially strong showing among millennials.

TemanJalan received international attention and recognition through the LINE Bot Awards, where they won in the localisation category.

Their success demonstrated that mobile apps can fully convert into chatbots, which can help local mobile app developers port their products onto the LINE platform.

“LINE is committed to growing its platform in Indonesia, and our acquisition of TemanJalan is a boost for our local capacity there,” said LINE Indonesia managing director Dale Kim.

“With TemanJalan, we are adding an excellent engineering team that greatly enhances our ability to develop the chatbot platform, as well as gaining in-depth insights into the Indonesian market.”

“We are ecstatic to be joining LINE,” said TemanJalan co-founder and CEO Fauzan Helmi Sudaryanto.

“This acquisition is a major vote of confidence for developers in Indonesia and indicates LINE’s seriousness about nurturing and supporting the local community.”

TemanJalan is a social platform that specialises in carpooling for university students. The platform helps students connect with other students, matching them on the basis of routes and schedules. More than just improving carpooling, however, TemanJalan also helps students meet new people and make friends. The service already operates on more than 50 campuses and has made over 100,000 matches.