Plug and Play Indonesia accelerator programme batch two kicks off with 13 startups

• Startups are from various fields such as fintech, IoT, agriculture, mobile, and entertainment
• Scheduled to present their businesses at GK – Plug and Play Expo Day in April

AFTER graduating its first batch of nine startups in Indonesia on September 2017, Silicon Valley based Plug and Play startup accelerator holds its second programme for local and international startups that plan to enter the Indonesian market.

The programme is a joint venture between Indonesian investment firm Gan Konsulindo (GK) and Silicon Valley-based global startup accelerator Plug and Play.

From over than 300 startups from various fields such as fintech, IoT, agriculture, mobile, and entertainment that applied since October 2017, 13 local and overseas startups were picked after several stages of screening.

The 13 startups are:

1. Blynk, Singapore-based startup that helps Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), corporations, and government agencies to create applications.
2. Cheers Global Wallets, a platform for developers to integrate an e-wallet in an app.
3. Dana Bijak, an online micro-lending platform.
4. Datanest, a platform that helps company to analyse data using machine learning or Artificial Intelligence (AI).
5. Duit Hape, an independent mobile payment and remittance system that can work across operating systems, telecommunications operators, and banks.
6. Eresto, a cloud-based software provider to ease accounting, CRM, and managing the stock of a restaurant.
7. Gandeng Tangan, a peer-to-peer online lending platform.
8. Gringgo, an application that aggregates and organises collection services in recycling trash.
9. Indogold, an online gold-investment platform.
10. Manpro, an application to ease project management processes, especially in documenting a construction project.
11. Periksa ID, a platform that helps healthcare services to improve by enabling them to write recipes, stores media records, and manage patient data.
12. Trukita, an online marketplace for trucking and cargo needs.
13. Weston, provides solutions for renewable energy systems in remote areas of Indonesia and its system can be used by every home to gain access to electricity with an affordable pay per use method.

Not only will they receive seed funding, but these thirteen startups will also get other advantages, ranging from workshops, one-on-one mentorship, free co-working space at prestigious areas of Kuningan - Jakarta, access to Silicon Valley, and a chance to work together with GK - Plug and Play corporate partners.

“Seed funding is just a part of the investment we provide. More than that, we will connect our second batch with our corporate partners for a win-win solution.

“With collaboration like this, of course startups will grow faster. Not only that, we will also connect them with regulators, media, and investors,” said Plug and Play Indonesia president director Wesley Harjono.

He also explains that the differences between the first batch and the second batch lies in the variety of industries or solutions that these startups provide and their maturity level.

“These startups are able to provide solutions to more “real” problems in local and global societies. We can see that through the variety of startups in the second batch.”

After being in the programme for three months, these startups will be scheduled to present their businesses at GK - Plug and Play Expo in front of investors, government, C-Level Executives, and the media in April 2018.

Commitment is important

When being asked about the biggest lesson he learned from the first batch, Wesley admits that he needs to see more commitments from startups owners.

“I even met some founders who own multiple startups at the same time. They think they are able to handle it, but they cannot. That became the reason why GK and Plug and Play focused on quality, character, and commitment of the startup founders, then technology after that.”

In terms of accepting startups from overseas, Wesley explains that the local market needs more technology and solutions, “If they are willing to share their technology with us, then why not?.”

As one of Singapore-based startup joining this programme, Cheers Global Wallets founder and chief executive officer Gregor Arn tells Digital News Asia (DNA) that there is a huge opportunity in Indonesia for his company because there is nobody doing this.

“When you are building solutions for emerging markets, you have to start from the local. I think that Plug and Play will help us in build connections not only locally, but also globally.”

For Gandeng Tangan founder Jezzie Setiawan, she hopes that this progamme will help her company to be more mature in doing business.

Trukita founder and chief innovation officer Ady Bangun says his company needs support from big players in the industry so it will help him in developing the business.

“Plug and Play are able to connect us not only to other industries, but also to the government. So, we hope we can grow with support from all sides.”

Gringgo chief technology officer Febriadi Pratama says that his company would like to have access to more markets and strengthen the team after joining this programme.

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