3 Startups Collaborate to Encourage Local MSME Products

As one of the driving wheels of the national economy, local product marketing needs attention. Starting from the production side to consumption so that it can affect the purchasing power of consumers so that the national economy can recover.

Mapan, a technology company based on a partnership network, encourages the development of a local product buying and selling ecosystem by cooperating with Blibli.com, Kaya.ID and the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment.

Mapan CEO Hendra Tjanaka said, in line with the government’s call to Proud Made in Indonesia, this collaboration is expected to strengthen the ecosystem of buying and selling local products with a collectivism-based business strategy.

“Not only support so that our partners can earn income, but also we need to prepare a strong ecosystem starting from the consumer side, distribution, and local product producers ranging from MSMEs to factories,” Hendra said virtually, Thursday (3/6/2021).

Digital Ecosystem Plays an Important Role in Pandemic Times

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the digital ecosystem plays a crucial role in accommodating all business players buying and selling local products, starting from sales partners, consumers to local product producers to move forward.

Thus, MSMEs can be equal and able to compete with large producers. Deputy for Creative Economy, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Odo R M Manuhutu, said that the synergy of these three startups has a role that is in accordance with their respective industries to support a strong ecosystem.

According to him, with a network of more than 250,000 partnerships in the Mapan ecosystem, he can become a distribution and marketing agent. Meanwhile, Blibli as an e-commerce platform can offer a transparent and efficient procurement and supply chain system for local producers.

Likewise with Kaya.ID, which can act as an incubator for MSME brands in helping to ensure product quality and developing MSME brands in an effort to support local producers so that Indonesian people can get quality local products and are proud to use local brands.

“Therefore, we support and appreciate the collectivism movement of 3 local startups initiated by Mapan, Blibli and Kaya.ID. This is also proof that through gotong royong, we are able to expand our reach and have a deeper impact,” said Odo.

For information, until April 2021 Mapan’s business partners are able to sell more than 82 percent of local products, with a total income of up to IDR 2.5 million per month.

Hendra hopes that actors in the buying and selling business ecosystem can take advantage of this opportunity to register as a seller partner, especially local products.

“We hope this initiative can have a positive impact on private entrepreneurs who want to support this ecosystem in providing income access and sustainability for our Business Partners and for local product producers,” said Hendra.

Startup Still Haunted by Potential Collapse

The adaptation process, one of which is the business pivot, is still considered a strategy that digital startups need to intensify in order to survive during the Covid-19 pandemic, which cannot be predicted when it will end.

Treasurer of the All-Indonesian Venture Capital Association (Amvesindo) Edward Ismawan Chamdani said consolidation, business pivots, reducing the number of employees are options that can be taken, especially in the hospitality and tourism sectors.

“The pandemic period is the right momentum for the affected sector to consolidate and employees as well as business partners and even funders understand and provide flexibility for companies to consolidate,” he said, Friday (4/6/2021).

He believes that companies that are late in taking steps to consolidate will usually feel greater pressure, especially in 2021, where the assumption of a back to normal has occurred, but in reality it requires tactical and adaptive steps to survive.

Edward continued, according to his portfolio during the first semester of 2021, there were 10-15 percent of startup companies closed their services because they could not survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Currently, I don’t have complete [startup collapse] data, but from our portfolio, it’s around 10-15 percent,” he said.