20 Initial Phase Local Startups Ready to Join the Acceleration Program

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kemkominfo) is holding a startup early stage (early phase) acceleration program titled Startup Studio Indonesia. This program complements the National 1000 Startup Digital Movement in 2016 and Nexticorn (Next Indonesia Unicorn) in 2017 which was held to accelerate digital transformation.

The Startup Studio Indonesia program targets startups in the Angel Investment phase to pre-service A. Startups that are facilitated by this program are expected to develop their business scale more quickly through various supports to accelerate products and teams, validation of fundraising strategies, growth marketing strategies, support for technology development, and sharpen business skills.

In an official statement received on Tuesday (20/10/2020), it was stated that of the 668 applications received from 32 provinces in Indonesia, 20 startups were selected that were believed to have an impact on Indonesia.

Startups are selected based on profiles, problem identification, proposed solutions, sector potential for scaling up, the relevance of solutions to the industrial sector, as well as differentiation and locality factors.

The 20 startups selected are AgenKAN, Biteship, Career Support, Feedloop, Halofina, Jejak.in, Justika, Keeppack, Larik.tech, Moodah, Nectico, Rakamin Academy, Rokosystem, Payo Kepasar, PTS.SC, Schoters, Tumbasin, Verihubs, Waterhub, and Woobiz.

The Ministry of Communication and Information is committed to continuing to support the creation of a strong and adequate digital startup ecosystem through the development of ICT infrastructure, digital talent development, to accelerating and refining regulations, said Johnny G. Plate as quoted in a press release, Monday (19/10).

Furthermore, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar said, to solve problems in the New Normal era, solutions from the technology sector are needed.

To solve problems in the new normal, you cannot use the old solution. To find new solutions, I believe, the majority of it comes from the technology sector. In the past, when we were initially divided between the real sector and the tech sector, now we realize that all of that will be integrated in the end, Mahendra Siregar continued.

Mentoring from Startup Co-Founders

Starting last October 5, they have followed a series of initial programs; Founder’s Camp, online. Their coaches are co-founders and digital startup leaders, such as Christopher Madiam (COO & Co-founder Sociolla), Fajrin Rasyid (Digital Business Director of PT Telkom Indonesia), Joseph Aditya (CEO Ralali), Metha Trisnawati (COO & Co-founder Sayurbox), and Vanessa Li (CEO & Co-founder of GoWork).

Starting the Founder’s Camp, Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar gave remarks and shared views on the current situation of the digital ecosystem to 20 selected startups.

After Founder’s Camp, the next stages of Startup Studio Indonesia are Brainstorming Session (12 October – 22 November), Networking, (23-25 ​​November), and Pitch Day (26 November). The Startup Studio Indonesia program bridges the two previous startup programs that the ministry initiated, namely the National 1000 Startup Digital Movement and Nexticorn.

We hope that these 20 early-stage startups can develop rapidly and their innovation will bring new solutions to the new normal conditions. To be a catalyst for Indonesia’s digital transformation, said Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, Director General of Information Applications at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia.

Focus on 4 Topics

For your information, Startup Studio Indonesia was started online since October 5. Startups participate in a series of programs starting from the Founder’s Camp, which focus on four topics. The topics in question include talent & culture, fundraising, product strategy, and growth marketing with coaches from well-known digital startup co-founders.

Next is the Brainstorming Session, Networking, and Pitch Day stages which will be held on November 26. Networking is a session that facilitates startups to meet the stakeholders they want to meet, ranging from government officials, academics, and industry experts.

Finally, it was closed with a Pitch Day, which is an activity where 20 startups will pitch to various stakeholders to show the progress they have made during the Startup Studio Indonesia program.