The best of Indonesia’s SheHacks startup program has arrived in Sydney, with five leading female founders from Jakarta ready to meet with government, industry leaders and investors to explore opportunities for transnational collaboration and mentorship.
Sponsored by the Australia Indonesia Institute (AII), and Indonesian telco, Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, the ‘ SheHacks validation tour’ marks an important milestone as the two countries look to open doors and create new pathways for collaboration driving their respective startup ecosystems.
The five startups come from diverse industries, spanning intellectual property platform Mebiso, water management system Waterhub, cloud-based mobile PoS company Kasir Pintar, female nutrition and fitness platform Dietela, and Pin’J, a working capital facility for blue collar, gig and informal workers.
Vikram Sinha, President Director & CEO Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, stated: “At Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, we are deeply committed to empowering female-led startups in Indonesia and beyond. These inspiring entrepreneurs not only represent the best of Indonesia’s innovation ecosystem but also highlight the critical role diversity plays in reshaping traditionally male-dominated industries. Programs like SheHacks are pivotal in creating opportunities for women to lead, innovate, and drive transformative change.”
Echoing these remarks, Mega Prawita, Managing Director with KUMPUL, a Jakarta-based innovation enabler working with Indosat said: “These are among the most promising startups to come out of Indonesia, currently experiencing strong growth throughout the region, and with exciting potential to achieve real success in Australia and other overseas markets”.
A spokesperson for the AII Secretariat said: “The SheHacks project is supporting female entrepreneurs and expanding people-to-people links between Australia and Indonesia, which are important goals of the AII. The SheHacks project received funding though our AII Grant Program, and we are thrilled to be supporting it”.
Strengthening international ties
The five SheHacks founders in Sydney will have the opportunity to pitch to Australian VCs and investors, which have come under increased criticism for not supporting female-led startups.
“When you look at the diversity of innovation these five founders have successfully brought to market in Indonesia, it’s clear that certainly the region’s female-led startups deserve serious consideration, while hopefully also reminding investors of the amazing female talent pool in Australia,” said Jo Robyn, operating partner with Blacknova.vc, one of the Australian VCs meeting with the SheHacks founders in Sydney.
Business Women Australia National Director, Lyn Hawkins said the organisation has helped to connect SheHacks founders with progressive VCs and female entrepreneurs in Australia, so that they might gather valuable insights and advice, while exploring potential partnerships.
“These types of engagements allow for a deeper understanding of how we can further mentor and support women entrepreneurs, opening up international growth opportunities,” she added.
The tour comes as Australia and Indonesia seek to build stronger ties across multiple industries and domains, and as their respective innovation industries continue to grow and evolve.
“Indonesia presents huge opportunities for export and trade to Australia,” added Blacknova.vc’s Robyn. “This further underscores the importance of initiatives like SheHacks connecting the brightest young female business talent in Indonesia with experienced professionals and mentors in Australia.”
The power of mentorship for female founders
Professional mentorship has emerged as a key determinant of success in the startup space, dominated as it is by our youngest entrepreneurs who must both navigate the fast moving innovation space, while also addressing critical business considerations such as financing, hiring, IP rights, marketing and others.
“Many female founders and startup professionals doubt themselves,” said Lyonda Huwaidi, CEO and Founder of WaterHub. “Yet so many have deep, genuine knowledge in their fields meaning they have the opportunity to affect real change if they really believe in themselves and have great mentors.”
WaterHub is a Jakarta-based company that has developed a low-cost water filtration kiosk able to quickly make dirty and/or salty water drinkable, aiming to address clean water scarcity and the scourge of plastic bottles across Indonesia and the rest of the world.
“Stepping into the unknown, whether as an entrepreneur or a leader in a male-dominated industry, requires courage and resilience,” said Hesti Rosa, CEO and Founder of Mebiso. “Trust that your unique perspective and skills are needed, and don’t be afraid to bring your full self to the table.”
Jakarta-based Mebiso is an AI-powered intellectual property platform designed to democratise the process of trademark registration and protection, making it vastly faster and cheaper.
Keren Natalia, Founder and Director of Sydney-based all-female laboratory compliance specialists, SmartQMS is one of the mentors working with the SheHacks founders in Australia, and Indonesia.
Jakarta born and bred, Natalia blends her personal understanding of the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Indonesia with her extensive experience mentoring women in Australia through The University of New South Wales’ ‘New Wave’ female accelerator program.
“This is a great opportunity for some of Indonesia’s best and brightest women to experience and learn from the Australian startup ecosystem, while giving the Australian sector a glimpse into the startup scene within one of the world’s largest economies,” she said.
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