Despite being a former millionaire, Indonesian entrepreneur Otto Totoh Sujiri seized the opportunity of a lifetime through a single bet, becoming one of the world’s wealthiest individuals. This bet dates back to 2011 when internet usage was already flourishing in Indonesia. At that time, the government decided to implement a law to ensure data security, requiring information to be stored online in Indonesia rather than abroad, leading to a significant need for local data centers.
Sujiri capitalized on this opportunity and co-founded PT DCI Indonesia with six partners, a company that became a leader in the field with over 200 clients in the country. Since its listing last year, DCI's shares have risen over 10,000%, transforming the 68-year-old Sujiri from a millionaire into one of the world's richest individuals, with an estimated fortune of about $2.5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Sujiri owns 30% of DCI, while co-founders Han Arming Hanafia and Marina Budiman hold stakes valued at $1 billion and $1.6 billion, respectively. Indonesian billionaire Anthony Salim, whose empire spans food, communications, and real estate, is the fourth-largest shareholder in DCI with an 11% stake.
Sujiri began his career as an IT programmer in Germany after graduating from a prestigious university in Aachen, a city near the Belgian and Dutch borders. He returned to Indonesia in the 1980s, programming for local companies before joining his family's bank, PT Bank Bali, where he helped establish the IT department. After six years at the bank, Sujiri left to lead PT Sigma Septa Karaka, a software company that was acquired by PT Telekom Indonesia in 2007, providing him unexpected gains.
In 1994, he founded PT Indointernet, Indonesia's first internet service provider, retaining a 17% ownership stake. Overall, he has founded more than 20 companies. DCI benefited from digital transformation in Indonesia, a country with a population of 270 million, primarily comprising young and internet-savvy individuals. Last year, the online economy reached $70 billion, a 49% increase from 2020, according to a report from Google and Temasek Holdings Pte. With a market share of 62%, DCI's profits rose by 43% last year, and revenues climbed to 871.2 billion rupiah ($60.7 million).
However, the company’s highly successful IPO, which was the best globally in 2021, led to controversy, prompting the stock exchange to halt trading and conduct an investigation into potential manipulation. While the investigation cleared DCI of any wrongdoing, Sujiri and his founding partners pledged not to sell their shares, converting their holdings into non-tradable shares last August.
Sujiri stated, "We do not want people to think we are trying to manipulate the market... It is part of our commitment as founders." Nevertheless, he expressed openness to selling more of his shares, although not in his data center currently. He also affirmed that he does not aspire to hold stakes in more than 20 companies for his entire life, stating, "Philosophically, a company is merely a means for people to create something useful for the benefit of humanity."
