JAKARTA, May 23, 2026 — The Digital Movement Generation Foundation (GenDigital Academy), in collaboration with Skystar Capital and Hacktiv8 Indonesia, successfully hosted the Code the Future AI Summit 2026 today at TCC Batavia Tower One, Jakarta.

The summit served as the grand finale of a two-month national AI hackathon. The initiative challenged Indonesia’s youth to design Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions for real-world problems—even without prior coding experience. The event brought together over 120 students, builders, and tech enthusiasts to celebrate the growing momentum of AI innovation in Indonesia.

Against the backdrop of rapid AI advancements in 2026, Code the Future was founded on a core premise: the gap between concept and execution has narrowed significantly. With AI tools becoming increasingly accessible, the younger generation possesses unprecedented opportunities to build impactful products, solutions, and enterprises.

“If there was ever a definitive time for young Indonesians to start building, it is now,” said Isaac Winoto, Founder and Senior Advisor of GenDigital Academy and a US-based Product Manager at Microsoft. “AI technology has made the development process remarkably faster and more accessible. We believe Indonesia’s future will be shaped by those who begin building today.”

The Code the Future AI Summit 2026 commenced with opening remarks from Herman Hermawan, Senior Investment Associate at Skystar Capital, alongside Dylan Jaya, Vice President of GenDigital Academy and the event’s primary lead.

The agenda proceeded with a “Future Builders & Leaders Talks” session featuring Herman Hermawan and Riza Fahmi, Co-Founder & Chief Evangelist of Hacktiv8 Indonesia. The speakers guided participants on scaling an idea into a viable solution, translating it into a product, and developing a sustainable business model attractive to venture capital. The discussion also debunked prevailing myths surrounding AI and startups, offering strategies for the next generation to lead in Indonesia’s 2026 tech landscape.

The collaboration among GenDigital Academy, Skystar Capital, and Hacktiv8 underscores the vital synergy between grassroots communities and the startup ecosystem in nurturing new technical talent.

“Initiatives like this allow us early access to promising young tech talent, particularly among high school and university students,” noted Christopher Josua, Head of Communications and Partnerships at Skystar Capital. “We believe the sustainable growth of Indonesia’s digital ecosystem requires platforms like Code the Future, where the nation’s top minds can cultivate and demonstrate their potential.”

The event successfully engaged 40 teams, totaling 120 participants, comprising university and high school students.

Unlike conventional initiatives of its kind, this summit features several distinct elements. Skystar Capital collaborated with GenDigital to engage a highly active coder community that has been growing since 2018 and has gained significant traction among high school and university students. Additionally, Skystar Capital partnered with Hacktiv8—one of Indonesia’s largest coding and digital education institutions, which has been a prominent player in the ecosystem since 2016. Notably, this event stands as the first hackathon by GenDigital and Hacktiv8 in Indonesia to be completely dedicated to AI.

This strategic initiative underscores Skystar Capital’s enduring confidence in young Indonesian tech talent. Even amidst the headwinds of the current “Tech Winter” and a broader slowdown in hackathon activities, the firm remains deeply committed to investing in and fostering the nation’s digital innovators.

The summit also featured a Demo Day showcasing the finalists from the high school and university categories. In the high school track, participants presented creative solutions spanning productivity, healthcare, public policy, and IoT. Notable innovations included an AI-driven 3D CAD workflow, an app streamlining nurse placement for inpatient care, and an IoT system optimized for crop irrigation.

The university track featured more advanced AI applications tailored for the financial and educational sectors. Finalists presented diverse innovations, including an intelligent procurement recommendation system for palm oil mills, a community-driven app preserving indigenous Indonesian languages and culture, and a sophisticated multi-agent AI system designed for safer, smarter digital lending assessments.

Interspersed throughout the Demo Day was an interactive AI Game Show, where participants competed to replicate images using specific prompts on their preferred AI models. Winners received three-month Claude AI subscriptions to support their ongoing exploration and mastery of AI technologies.

Concluding the event, GenDigital Academy premiered an inspiring video detailing its institutional journey and future roadmap. Isaac Winoto outlined GenDigital’s new strategic direction for 2026, which focuses on: Enhancing literacy in AI and autonomous AI agents, establishing a more accessible ecosystem for volunteering, and cultivating a robust community of learners and builders to democratize digital literacy across Indonesia.

Through this renewed vision, GenDigital aims to reach 5,000 new digital learners across Jakarta, Bandung, and Yogyakarta over the next year by collaborating with students, professionals, communities, schools, NGOs, and industry partners.

The summit concluded with the announcement of the hackathon winners for both categories and the presentation of certificates to all finalists and participants.

Through Code the Future, GenDigital Academy hopes to inspire more young Indonesians to boldly leverage technology for real-world problem solving, actively shaping the nation’s digital frontier.

Reflecting on the milestone, Christopher Josua reiterated that Skystar Capital’s involvement went beyond a co-hosting capacity, with the firm also serving on the judging panel for the grand finale.

“We highly anticipate that events of this caliber will continue to expand in Indonesia and Southeast Asia to showcase our finest regional talent, particularly in digital technology,” Christopher remarked. He emphasized that Skystar Capital remains deeply committed to fostering the digital ecosystem: “This is precisely why we provide our full endorsement to initiatives of this nature.”

About GenDigital Academy, Skystar Capital, and Hacktiv8 Indonesia

  • GenDigital Academy (Yayasan Generasi Gerakan Digital): A non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating digital and AI literacy among Indonesian youth. Since its inception in 2018, GenDigital has educated over 8,000 students through hundreds of learning sessions and cross-sector collaborations with communities, schools, NGOs, and industry partners nationwide.
  • Skystar Capital: An early-stage venture capital firm focused on investing in and scaling technology startups across Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Skystar Capital actively supports founders with capital, institutional mentorship, and strategic network access to drive sustainable growth.
  • Hacktiv8 Indonesia: A premier technology education institution specializing in digital talent development through intensive coding bootcamps, AI training, and industry-aligned tech programs. Since 2016, Hacktiv8 has equipped thousands of individuals with the skills necessary to excel in the digital and AI eras.