"Sustainable" Accelerator Program Targets Potential Startups to Partner with Corporations

Future Incandescent Foundation (Incandescent Foundation) announced the presence of the "Lestari" accelerator program to target potential startups in collaboration with corporations and companies incumbent at national and international level. This program targets startups from the digital vertical infrastructure and tech, environmental and sustainable tech, future food, sustainable energy, fintech, and others to join as participants.

In an official statement, the Director of the Lestari Pijar Foundation, Cynthia Krisanti, said that through: accelerator program In this regard, his party wants to encourage the growth and development of technology-based innovation in Indonesia. This is done by democratizing the opportunity to implement innovations in the business ecosystem that has been formed, thereby accelerating new startups to reach a certain point product-market fit.

This established company will become a platform for startups to test products in the middle of the market more quickly and scalably. Meanwhile for corporations incumbent will benefit from various information, trials, and new breakthroughs in their business lines more quickly, so that they can adapt to the development of disruptive innovations.

“In addition to access to the business ecosystem, Lestari will also expand opportunities for start-up companies to obtain funding from private and public investors. The digital economy will be the key to Indonesia's economic growth," said Cynthia, Tuesday (26/7).

From the data he quoted, in 2025 Indonesia's digital economy is estimated to reach a total of $146 million. Not only that, data from the Asian Development Bank in 2019 predicts that technology-based transformation can boost Indonesia's economic growth of $2.8 trillion in 2040.

Agenda of activities

With a different concept from most accelerator programs, Lestari wants to be a hub and startup accelerators with technology initiatives that embrace tomorrow's trends, opportunities and challenges. By connecting leading innovators with stakeholders in the ecosystem to foster collaboration and accelerate positive disruption in society.

“Together with innovators, corporate partners, industry experts and players, as well as mentors, Lestari creates a concrete impact to change the future together. Lestari is committed to maximizing the collaboration of the best ideas, innovations and policies, in order to face future trends, arrangements and opportunities.”

So far, Lestari's mentor network has reached more than 50 professionals who are experts in various fields. Lestari also developed a program model based on best-practice research on global accelerators that have been adapted along with the experience of her team at national and international levels.

Detailed further, batch The first Lestari program will last for six months. In the first two months, the startup will undergo a 20 joint pre-program venture, then continues from the 3rd to the 5th month to run an acceleration program with 10 companies that have joined. Then, in the 6th month or the last month it will be used for monitoring and evaluation.

Step Lestari has the support of two ministries in Indonesia. In his remarks, the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia Airlangga Hartarto highlighted that the number of startups was growing rapidly in Indonesia. According to him, as of July 2022, there were 2.391 startups from Indonesia, of which there were two decacorns and eight unicorns.

He assessed that the potential for startups in the digital economy in 2021 is Rp. 146 trillion and by 2030, it will increase eightfold to Rp. 4.531 trillion. Airlangga also explained that the role of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs in the growth of this startup is to support a sustainable ecosystem. Some of the ways taken are incubation and startup acceleration programs such as the Lestari program by the Pijar Foundation.

“The presence of startups that continue to bring innovation to the community must be supported by all parties, both private and government. […] To support a sustainable ecosystem in the startup sector, there are several ways that are taken, one of which is the startup incubation and acceleration program. Therefore, I really welcome the initiative carried out by the Pijar Foundation with the Lestari program that will be carried out," said Airlangga.

Apart from Lestari, Pijar Foundation also has two other programs. Namely, Future Skills, to train & sharpen the skills of potential future innovators to face future trends and challenges and Global Future X, to develop policies that are oriented towards the future of humans and nature by building directed roadmaps, as well as being a forum for exchange. idea.