Events

UK & Indonesia Announce 35 Companies from 8 Provinces to Join Nurture to Scale, a Scaleup Programme for Indonesian Startups

  • 35 technology/tech-enabled businesses from 8 provinces in Indonesia were selected for an 8-week programme of mentoring and workshops, led by successful founders.
  • UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss officially launched the program live at Bogor Creative Center on Friday, 12 November 2021 alongside HMA Owen Jenkins, British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste.
  • Jakarta ranks third after Mumbai and Copenhagen out of one hundred cities worldwide on the list of “emerging start-up ecosystems”. 

UK – Indonesia Tech Hub and Endeavor teamed up to launch a scale-up programme for start-ups in Indonesia called Nurture to Scale. The programme aims to nurture the start-up entrepreneurs in Indonesia by providing access to resources, knowledge, successful founders, key industry leaders and mentors – all in order to scale-up their business.

As Southeast Asia’s largest and fastest growing digital economy with 185 million internet users nationwide, Indonesia sees Millenials and Generation Z consumers becoming the main drivers for growth in country’s digital economy. Indonesia’s dynamic and innovative technology start-up sector is also increasingly becoming a hotbed for investments: as its decacorns and unicorns continue to attract the attention of global technology giants and venture capitalists.

According to the annual Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2021, Jakarta ranks third after Mumbai and Copenhagen out of one hundred cities worldwide on the list of “emerging start-up ecosystems”. Jakarta’s ranking is the highest in the Southeast Asia region, such as Kuala Lumpur, Ho Chi Minh City, Bangkok, and Manila.

Yet, a gap in scaling existing start-ups to reach their global scale potential is visibly present. Through the Nurture to Scale programme, the mission is to fill that gap with knowledge and opportunities which can broaden the presence of these start-ups and make them world-ready – to expand and go global, as part of their long-term business goals.

From a total of 99 applicants from 23 locations across Indonesia, 35 startups representing 8 provinces and 13 cities were selected to attend and complete Nurture to Scale’s 8-week programme of workshops and mentoring sessions guided by leading business leaders. The 8 provinces include Aceh, DKI Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, DI Yogyakarta, East Java and North Sulawesi.

Participants will join a high-impact community of like-minded people, and together gain clarity on: business growth & direction at scale; and how to increase personal & professional growth as a leader & entrepreneur. Participants will be able to discuss their business with experts from Endeavor unrivalled quality mentors, UK – Indonesia Tech Hub and the wider Endeavor network of business leaders and investors.

The Nurture to Scale programme is targeted at local start-ups with technology/tech-enabled businesses based in Indonesia. Businesses should have surpassed the idea stage, be product-ready and have established sufficient market traction. Priority will be given to women-led start-ups and start-ups in health-tech, COVID-response, disaster-response tech, SME-focused, climate change, humanitarian response, and women education/ empowerment business.

Owen Jenkins, British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste said:

“This is an exciting & challenging time to be alive, as ever changing technology trends demand us to upskill. I am delighted to witness Indonesia’s dynamic & rapidly growing start up scene, which the UK is actively supporting.

UK – Indonesia Tech Hub is only able to have an impactful role in supporting the growth & inclusivity of the Indonesian digital ecosystem because we first seek to understand both the hurdles faced by under-represented groups to set up & grow their businesses, and then the challenges young start-ups face as they develop. We can then support under-represented groups and start-ups to overcome their challenges through curated capacity building programmes in digital literacy for tech players, women and underrepresented groups.

This all aligns with our objective to stimulate the local digital economy in Indonesia; so high-end digital skills can drive job creation and sustainable growth. This exciting programme will benefit all participants and the wider Indonesian economy. Collaborations like these spark innovation, forge new partnerships, and strengthen the bonds between the UK and Indonesia.”

Endeavor Indonesia Managing Director Wayah Wiroto stated that this programme was formed as a support for the creation of a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem in Indonesia. “The rankings in GSER 2021 showcases the strengths in ecosystems with the highest potential to become global top performers. Having a good support system is one of the supporting aspects. Endeavor hopes to provide continuous support and help to accelerate the growth of 35 startups in the Nurture to Scale programme. By having 8 provinces and 13 cities represented, we hope this programme can give a great contribution to the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem throughout Indonesia,” he expressed.

Aslan Saputra, CEO & Founder Gumugu (Banda Aceh) said,

“The start-up ecosystem in Aceh is still very small and is still in the introduction phase, although some have gone national. When Nurture to Scale programme was opened, I was very excited and hoped that many start-ups from Aceh could join a program like this so that later it could be adopted and implemented in Aceh to support the growth of the start-up ecosystem here. By joining this programme, I hope to develop myself as a leader, turbocharge my business growth and expand the impact of Gumugu as a paperless ecosystem solution through the Endeavor network and the UK-Indonesia Tech Hub.”

Information about the program is available at www.nurturetoscale.org, Instagram account at instagram.com/nurturetoscale or contact indonesia@endeavor.org

Contact:

Elfitra Augustin | +628561082186 | elfitra.augustin@endeavor.org

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The UK-Indonesia Tech Hub

Developed in September 2019 by the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) to build digital ecosystems that will facilitate sustainable economic growth and development for Indonesia under the wider International Tech Hub Network.

Following the example of successful hubs elsewhere in the world, such as the UK-South Africa Tech Hub, UK-India Tech Hub and the UK-Israel Tech; UK-Indonesia Tech Hub has three main aims:

  • Deliver tailored interventions to cultivate digital skills responding to the needs and opportunities for inclusion in the local tech sector. This could include, for example, promoting opportunities for youth and women in the local tech sector;
  • Support tech entrepreneurship through partnerships with local digital ecosystem stakeholders including incubators, accelerators and private sector firms, Indonesian government departments and agencies and non-profit organisations
  • Facilitate partnerships between local tech firms (including tech start-ups) and international companies (across all sectors) in the form of commercial partnerships or joint ventures

Endeavor Indonesia

Endeavor is the world’s leading community of high-impact entrepreneurs. Founded in 1997, Endeavor is a global organization with a mission to unlock the transformational power of entrepreneurship by selecting, supporting, and investing in the world’s top founders. Today, Endeavor’s network spans nearly 40 countries and supports more than 2,100 entrepreneurs, whose companies generate combined revenues of over $28 billion US, have created more than 3.9 million jobs, and, in 2020, raised over $4 billion US in capital. Endeavor’s unique entrepreneur-first model and network of trust provide a platform for founders to dream big, scale up, and pay it forward to the next generation of entrepreneurs.

Since started in Indonesia in 2012, Endeavor Indonesia has selected and supported 67 EEs (Endeavor Entrepreneurs) leading 49 companies, namely founders and CEO of Zilingo, Kopi Kenangan, Kitabisa.com, eFishery, Female Daily Network, Ula, Shipper, Fabelio, Waresix, Cottonink, Indonesia Bike Works, Waresix, Kargo, and many more – with the help of over 80+ business leaders in our local network and 3,000+ worldwide as mentors.

For more information about Endeavor, visit its global website | Indonesia website | LinkedIn | Instagram | YouTube

 

Nurture to Scale Information

Timeline

  • 13 October – Open application
  • 19 October  – Programme highlight and opening webinar with title “Scaling Up Your Startups: The High-Impact Way” (see video here)
  • 27 October: Close application
  • 01 November: Announcement of the selected 35 participants (link here)
  • 05 November: Program Kick-off
  • Workshops and group mentoring sessions
    • 05 November – Topic: Leadership
    • 12 November – Topic: Unit Economics
    • 19 November – Topic: Product Innovation
    • 26 November – Topic: Financial Strategy
    • 03 December – Topic: Market & Community Building
    • 10 December – Topic: Culture Building
    • 07 January – Topic: Sector Networking
    • 14 January – Topic: Pitching
  • 21 January – Pitching Day and Closing Ceremony

35 selected startups (company url link available in nurturetoscale.org)