Tag: agriculture

Laurentia Melinda: ANGIN Angel & Head of Business Development at NamWest

Posted on | by David Soukhasing | Leave a Comment on Laurentia Melinda: ANGIN Angel & Head of Business Development at NamWest

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Laurentia Melinda and I am in charge of business development at my company, NamWest. I am also a recent ANGIN angel.

So I started out majoring in communications; at first I didn’t really look into the agriculture industry. I was thinking more on the lines of banking and consulting. But once I came back to Indonesia, I noticed how many issues there really are, especially in the fields and with farmers. They’re the ones who are supposed to have a better quality of living than those of us living in the city because they are the ones who produce everything. Things we cannot live without, things that our are staples, like rice. It’s all their work, you know. Even right now, if you asked me to plant something like rice, I can’t do that. It takes real skill.

These farmers should be helped by us in the city, but they have no connections to urbanites. Their lack of a network means that they are inherently out of the picture – out of sight and out of mind – even when they play such an important role. We should really appreciate them more – their hard work, their skill, and the role they play in our society.

Why did you join ANGIN?

I joined ANGIN because I am a representative of my company and I wanted to get more in touch with the agri-startups in Indonesia. For example, there is a boom in agritech and I want to create partnerships and possibly invest in those kinds of startups. We are currently partnering with a few startups right now and we want to do more mentorship for them, since they may be relatively new on the agriculture business side. Maybe my company can contribute to their development.

I’m excited by how ANGIN is so connected with a wide variety of startups, especially on the agriculture side. ANGIN has a lot of portfolios and connections that could help startups be exposed to other companies. Maybe we can also get exposed to other fields other than agriculture for diversification.

Agriculture is oftentimes seen as a more traditional industry. What about it makes you, a young urbanite, become so excited about agriculture in Indonesia?

I think the new generation in Indonesia is starting to shift to a more metropolitan, urban lifestyle. All the farmers in Indonesia are starting to age or have already aged quite significantly, whereas their children and grandchildren are rarely carrying out the same jobs as they are. These farmers are seeing a shift away from what they hold so dearly to. So, I think in the long run we clearly need more farmers, even though there are bound to be technological breakthroughs in the field of agriculture like vertical farming and smart farming. At the same time, there should be a we need to continue the traditional kind of farming that we all know for the sustainability of our food and the future of our welfare.

It’s important to live the life of an outsider to gain perspective and insight into what life is really like for different kinds of people. The farmers are all outliers and outsiders to us urbanites because they don’t have the kinds of privileges that we do. They live extremely modestly, they eat very modestly. Sometimes they don’t even wear shoes, sandals or slippers. They never wear shirts that are ironed. And despite this, they are confident in who they are.

How is it being a young woman in the agriculture space, which is predominantly male?

Yeah, when I first stepped into the field it was difficult. It was a major culture shock. When we are living in the city, we are living an extremely superficial life – and a very good life, because we can get all the things that we want with such ease. Things such as air conditioning are regarded to us as a given, but it’s never been a privilege on the field or in a village. Right now, female status in the field is very rare, and the sheer number of women working on the field is also very little. But despite these numbers, we females are capable of working in agriculture.

Even now, people look at me weirdly because I am female. For instance, I was the only female attending a farmers’ meeting; even my own team is mostly male. The men basically just kept staring at me and they didn’t want to talk to me at all. Honestly at first I didn’t know what to say to them either. So instead, I conducted more interpersonal and in-depth talks. These helped a lot. I basically used that ‘nurturing’ quality we all possess as women to understand the farmers better.

How do you get past that initial bias that people might have against females doing agricultural work?

I think right now I’m more confident in the field, because my attitude towards it all is, “Oh I’m female. So what? So whatever!” I’ve feel extremely comfortable and carefree in my gender because I want to make sure everyone knows that as females we can still be on the field, getting dirty. We don’t always have to wear nice clothes with our hair done, looking all tidy. It’s a lot about being down to earth and in touch with nature, which is something most people in the city never get to be.

Has there ever been a moment on the field that really validated the fact that this is your life path, that working in agriculture is what you want to do?

There was a moment when I was in the fields. We all had to take our shoes off and replace them with special boots. It was very tiring to get the plantation done. Even picking up the harvest is challenging – it is overall an extremely tough job. I had no idea it would be so hard. To put it simply, it was all just very hot, very humid, and very dirty. But it was really touching how the farmers were living such modest lives. They were very low-key, and yet they were still eager to do their underappreciated and highly tedious work. They are literally the epitome of hard work; they wake up extremely early, go to the farm, work the fields, and repeat this every single day.

What’s more, during Lebaran the farmers don’t even take a break. I know this because while I was on break, my WhatsApp group with the farmers was still extremely active. They would mention that they were watering the plants, or that they were planting new crops while the rest of the country was on vacation. Lebaran is literally their only break all year, and yet they choose to work because they were afraid of turning their back on their crops. That’s real dedication.

Do you have any role models in the agriculture industry?

I think, Siti Mudaya and Ibu Susi are big role models for me ecause they’re females and they’re extremely dominant in their fields. They’re both part of male-dominated industries, but they remain humble about how far they’ve gone and how much they’ve achieved. Another inspiring person is Ibu Noni from Blue Bird Group, who is also one of ANGIN’s angels. Indonesia is currently developing rapidly, and sometimes it seems like the older role models are fading away with time. But women like her innovate and manage to integrate themselves into the ever-changing world. An example of this is how Blue Bird merged with GO-JEK to create a taxi platform on the transportation application. This is fascinating to me, and I am constantly learning from them.

What advice do you have for other women like yourself who would like to join the agriculture space? The ones who are ready to get their hands dirty and get into the fields?

I guess the first thing I would advise these women is to not be shocked when you notice that discrimination still exists in this industry. And in terms of things that are more physical in nature, be ready to get into the soil and make sure you visit the fields. Getting your hands dirty is very important because that’s the best way you will be able to manage and control the projects you are working on. In terms of expectations, let go of the idea that working on the field will be anything like working in the city. You definitely won’t have an office life.

You’re young, you’re talented, you’re female, and you’re a part of this new generation of people who are really taking charge — people who are becoming angel investors. What message do you have for other young women like yourself who want to take on leadership roles?

I think more females should have a social impact and make a bigger difference by giving back to society. And especially in the agricultural industry. For me, it’s all about giving back. It is intrinsically very fulfilling. So, my message to other girls is that you should dream big, and as a female don’t fall into the stereotype of having a housewife life. Make sure you start working towards your goals early.

Samantha Gunawan & Josephine Bahari of Blueboots Farm

Posted on | by angin

Tell us a bit about yourself.

S: My name is Samantha Gunawan and I’m the founder of Blueboots Farm. I’m 28 this year and I graduated 2013. Upon graduation I worked in Singapore for one year at an industrial engineering firm, and that’s when I realized that I didn’t suit the office life. I’m more of a outdoor person, so I tend to look for something where I can move around more. One weekend, I came back to Jakarta and I was casually talking to my sister like, “Hey, I’m really interested in organic food,” and she’s like, “Oh I know Ibu Helianti Hilman from Javara, maybe you can contact her and just talk.” So I emailed her and she was just like, “Hey Sam, why don’t we just meet the next day at 3 pm at the Javara Kemang office?”

Ibu Helianti ended up offering me an internship at Javara. At first, I thought no, I should be getting a full time job rather than an internship. But maybe because I felt I was still young, I felt that I could still explore. And actually my parents also supported me in the sense that they told me, “You should make all the mistakes now and explore since you’re not married yet.” So I thought, okay maybe a three-month internship would be a good start to see whether I like the industry. Those three months turned into one year.

Ibu Hellianti wanted to open a new side business; she’s doing food processing right but she wants to do fresh produce, too. She has a lot of connections with the hotels in Jakarta and she has farmers in Bogor, but she doesn’t know how to connect the two because she’s too busy. She sees this girl (me) who wants to know more about organic farms, so she’s like, “Sam, you be the middle person and see how you can convey what they want to the farmers.” That’s where I think the trigger was for me to get into agriculture.

J: My name is Josephine Bahari. I graduated in 2016 with a graphic design degree. I was working at a graphic design firm for a year. I actually always had this passion for eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle and I’ve always been interested in Blueboots and but never got the chance to ask Samantha about it. I became tired of my job. Samantha happened to want to meet up (she’s my cousin), and she proposed that I help her. I said yes straight away and the rest is history.

I’ve been helping Samantha with the creative side of Blueboots and a little bit on the marketing side learning more about actual farming and where food comes from. I don’t think people are actually exposed to the agriculture side of organic food. I’m actually pretty blessed because I know where my food is coming from and how it is being nurtured and harvested into our dishes. And I think it made me more passionate and mindful of what I consume.

What is the health food scene like in Indonesia?

S: I feel like the health-conscious market is growing, but people still don’t really understand what “healthy” is about. For instance, gluten-free is assumed to be good but actually it depends on your body type. A lot of people are being eaten by marketing. Indonesians follow trends. So if Americans or Europeans are eating kale, we’re eating kale. But actually there’s a lot of other local plants that can replace that. We’re missing our own health culture.

J: i think it’s definitely super niche. The health scene is growing but there’s no personality to it. We’re really following Americans or Australians. It feels like everyone is copying each other. There’s no creativity or actual thought put into it. I think Salad Stop is actually a good model to follow. They have fresh produce as well, and there’s a story behind their business. I think their business is more conscious.

There’s a real psychology in the food business. It’s not just the taste, but also the story behind the food, where it comes from. The health market here is more about marketing than actual health consciousness. In short, it’s growing, but its growing very slowly.

Why is it important to know where your food comes from — why is that narrative important?

S: I think growing up as a city girl, I realized that I felt so disconnected with where my food came from and that I just took things for granted. So if you don’t finish the food, you don’t tend to have any guilt. But once you go to nature and you realize how seeds grow into plants and that it takes about 3-4 months… then you realize that you should not waste your food, and how you should treat the food. You need to minimize your cooking process because certain ways of cooking has more nutrition. I think when you know where your food comes from, you just become more appreciative and you tend to appreciate the ingredients themselves.

How was the transition between working for someone to becoming your own entrepreneur?

S:  Well, working for someone is really good. You don’t have to think about future steps, you don’t have to come up with a business plan, you don’t have to be accountable to your employees. Your mindset is just to do your job, but you’re not thinking about the whole business aspect of that firm. But when you’re doing your own thing, you have to put everything together, put the ideas into action. It takes more motivation, it takes more effort. You need to have passion. If not, I don’t think you can do it at all. I really love agriculture, so I think I jumped into the business with an excitement; it’s something I look forward to. Agriculture is not an easy task, so there were definitely a lot of worries. But you don’t know until you try.

The food industry in general is it male dominated or female dominated, how do you feel as a woman in that space?

S: I think I’m stepping into two industries; one is agriculture and one is food processing. The agriculture industry is definitely male-dominated. You rarely see a woman working on a farm. In terms of how I feel…I actually feel accomplished. At first, I felt intimidated but after awhile, when you know what you’re doing you feel good about it. I don’t feel any different from the men. Sometimes I feel like I’m even a little better.

As young women, do you actually find it hard to get people to see you as capable?

J: I feel that way in a lot of situations. Even sometimes when I go out with Sam. The people that she meets are experienced. They know more about agriculture. I do feel super intimidated, but I think the key is that I want to learn. That’s why I’m always in the back, listening and learning. I do hope that one day I can speak about Blueboots Farm like Sam. I’m actually in the process of learning right now.

S: I feel confidence is built up with experience. If I’m not experienced and I talk to people about things that are more advanced or technical, I tend to be honest with them and tell them, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m new, can you teach me?” People are actually open to that. If you are humble to them and tell them you don’t know, they will open up to you. So I’m never scared to go to a space where I meet people at a higher level than me because I think it’s a learning process. I’m sure one day I’ll be at that point where I can understand. One thing I’ve learned is that if you don’t understand, it’s because you don’t know yet. It’s not because you can’t.

Where do you see yourselves in five to ten years?

S: My perfect five year plan is for me to have good family time while at the same time a career. Not a career that will take my whole life and time away from family. So what I’m doing right now is i’m finding new partners and collaborations so that one day I can still run this while also spending time with family. Work-life balance is very important to me.

J: I definitely want to be involved in the food industry. Not necessarily towards the tertiary side. More to the primary side where Sam is at right now. I really want to learn about food and where it comes from, as well as helping get the word out that eating healthy is not hard. It’s actually so simple, but people just don’t understand it. I think that is actually my passion, and I’m learning little by little. Slowly. Learning about farming and maybe learning to talk to people about it and finding a business that can convey it to people.

M: How do you see women coming into the food industry? How are they changing the food sector?

S: I’m very impressed by all these women. Nowadays I see that women are more business-minded. They get things done quicker and more efficient than men. Even my mom. I feel like women are more meticulous. You need someone like that in the company. Every company needs a woman. They’re the drive behind it.

J: I think males – at least in Jakarta – are not as interested in the holistic and organic lifestyles as females are. So I think it’s actually a good thing. As women, we have this mother-like instinct, taking care of people and ourselves. Not saying that men don’t possess that, but I think women are more expressive about it. I think that’s why we see a lot of women in this sector. We want to take care of people. That’s why social entrepreneurship is more female-dominated. They don’t just want to earn profit, but they want to create impact.

Any advice for other girls looking to jump into the industry?

S: If you want something, just do it. Explore more. If you keep exploring, you can definitely find how you can connect your passion with work. I also feel like you cannot be lazy. Keep on finding your purpose in life, what you want to do. Don’t wait until you’re 50 because then it may be too late. Start as early as possible.

J: I relate to the laziness part. I procrastinate a lot. Recently I’ve learned to have that go-getter attitude if I really want to succeed. The key is to just not be lazy. To always have that drive. Find that drive and what you like. Just excite yourself.

 

Sunarni Widyastuti of Repong Indonesia

Posted on | by angin

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Sunarni Widyastuti. I am from Repong Indonesia, a social enterprise that provides environmental services for tourism within the state forest area in Lampung, as well as agro-tourism outside of the forest area. Our aim is to assist the forest farmers in the area, to be less dependent on forest resources, and thus to prevent further destruction to the forestlands. By finding alternative sources of income for local people and their economy, we are able to maintain the sustainability of the forest, protect its biodiversity, and increase the animal population. For example, we help locals manufacture products made from non-wood materials such as honey, handicrafts from bamboo, etc.

We want to enhance environmental awareness as well as nurture the ecosystem balance and sustainability of the lives of the people surrounding the region through business. Business is one of the keys to ensuring environmental preservation – that the environment is continually maintained. We hope to increase the population of wild animals and maintain harmony within the community. That is our hope.

What motivated you to work for this enterprise?

First, because we have a vision to maintain the balance of the forest ecosystem and prevent it from being exploited. Secondly, in doing so, the local community needs to find new ways of earning a living. Thus by using a tour permit, people are able to sell forest resources legally while contributing to the local economy. Previously, much of the forest area was deemed illegal for extracting resources whereas now farmers can benefit from the forests and maintain a livelihood. Our priority is within the state forest region as well as outside this area.

We also strive to protect the animal population. At the moment, we have a conservation program for animals prone to extinction such as the rhinoceros as well as a variety of bird species. Visitors are also invited to plant trees together to promote forest regrowth from forest fires. We are also experiencing human conflicts with elephants within the forest. In order to be a sustainable business, we have to make sure that people are not dependent on the forest, and that the animals are also not disturbed.

What particular challenges have you faced thus far?

At the moment, we are having difficulties with sustaining our projects financially over a longer period of time. We try to fundraise, however, and have received a considerable amount of local government grants and village funds. However this is still not yet optimal, so the role of our NGO is to provide intensive assistance to the local community in the case that the government has not been able to meet our financial demands.

How do you go about overcoming these obstacles?

 

Generally, we rely on the sharing of community resources and mutual cooperation. For example, we reach out to local governments and districts when we are urgently short on funding. After that, we look to NGOs such as WWF and WCS. And if there are still shortcomings, we look for more donors until we fulfil our needs. Indeed, it is not sustainable, so it is our role as an NGO to network and attend forums on entrepreneurship for example, to improve our business. Either way it is not easy, but urgent matters can always be overcome. We have had 20 years of experience in this field, and the community has been able to handle business independently.

What can we do to help this cause?

The development of our enterprise is something we need to prioritize at the moment. Particularly in terms of the sustainability and scalability of it. Both of these aspects are important as our business does in fact need diversification so that it can become attractive to buyers and investors. Because of the nature of services, there needs to be some sort of business diversification which is why we offer some tour packages. So the packages may have things to diversify. Secondly, sustainable practices needs to be implemented to ensure our the preservation of the forest and our future.

 

Kartini Igirisa: Founder of UD Kartini Cakalang

Posted on | by angin

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Kartini Igirisa. I am the founder of UD Kartini Cakalang. I started my business in 2008, producing processed fish products such as a variety of sambal (chili sauce).

What was your background previously and how did you come to establishing your own business?

At that time, in 2010, I was going through family problems. I split from my husband and the household, so needed to start earning an income. I have been running my business as a single parent up until now. When I started, we only had one product which was abon cakalang (fish floss). Now there are approximately 7 products, including sambal tuna, sambal teri and various other sambal varieties.

So far, what sorts of challenges do you face in managing your business?

There are competitors who sell their products below the market rate which is worrying for me. We aim to ensure that the quality of our products is not compromised, which means that the price is is raised accordingly. Naturally, when new players enter the market, they automatically look for price competitiveness. All our processing is still done manually.

How do you fundraise?

Until now, I’ve relied on bank loans entirely as the interest rates are very low. However, I only borrow as much as I need.

Can you share any of your experiences as a women entrepreneur?

Firstly, the opportunities are definitely limited living outside of the city. Not having a spouse makes things a bit harder as a single parent, but that’s okay. It does not limit my career. I am still confident, and continue to keep trying because I have to make a living and provide for my children.

I employ 3 women who work on processing, who are all single parents. My vision is to empower women within my community who need an income. Looking for work these day is also difficult, as many employers requires a minimum, level of schooling. So for people who do not have an education, it’s hard to provide daily food for the family. By hiring these people we are helping them achieve financial stability. I am particularly passionate in helping them because I know how hard it is being a single parent.

Why is the issue of women’s empowerment important to you?

I think women should have their own financial freedom, and be able to produce something that can earn themselves an income. I try to promote positive thinking for my female friends who are hoping to open their own business.

In the long term, what do you hope for your business?

I hope that my products can reach the wider domestic Indonesian market, and be in shops all over the archipelago. The goal is to one day have my own factory in Manado.

 

Suriana: Founder of Lyvia

Posted on | by angin

ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Suriana from Lyvia. We make a variety of fish-based specialty sambal from Manado. Not only do we make sambal, but also abon (fish floss), which we sell in supermarkets such as Carrefour, Indomart, local supermarkets as well as souvenir shops.

What made you start this business?

I used to be a housewife, but saw that in Manado there is a need to create jobs for women. We try to make products in fish processing because there is such an abundance of fish in Manado. Most of our workers are housewives because their husbands’ salary is not enough; they usually help the family business with work. At the moment we have three workers, including myself, making sambal in the house.

What challenges do you see in women’s society in your area?

Most women are left by their husbands, and some have do not have a job. We want to empower them to make money. In most cases the husband’s salary is not enough for their lifestyles, so they work. For my future mission, I want to open a gift shop. We want to empower mothers to be able to produce their own products and sell in the store. That’s my mission ahead.

What are some fundraising obstacles you’ve faced?

Because we spend most of our money on renting the workplace, I have difficulties with financing the main production. Some of my friends also want to help with production, but have limited time so only help with what they can. I hope to increase production, but also need to prioritize fundraising.

Have you been running for a long time?

It’s been four years. We’ve been in operation since 2014, but at that time monthly sales were only at most 20-30 bottles. Now in 2018, we sell 1000 bottles per month. We want to raise our target again and expand our marketing network. The only constraint for us is our size. At the moment, we are still small-scale, although we have worked with the team at Alibaba. One of our obstacles is that we don’t have a BPOM license. Applying to BPOM is very expensive, and you must have a kitchen dedicated solely to production. As a result, the production kitchen and private kitchen needs to be differentiated. So our production is still conducted in my house — a kind of home industry.

What aspects do you feel you need help?

We want coaching for how we can prepare our products to reach the international market. In addition, our packaging is not yet refined to compete with international brands.

As a woman entrepreneur, do you face specific challenges in developing your enterprise?

Yes certainly, because our model is limited and I am solely in charge of managing the business. Besides being helped by one or two people, we have limited time for production. We must seek funding for both the production machinery and for a production factory.

Why is the empowerment of women important to you?

An example are a few of my friends; they are unmotivated and confused about what to do with their time. I started this business to help them become more productive and not feel burdened by their various problems. I want to teach them how we as women and housewives can be productive and engage in wage work while still taking care of the house.

 

Dwi Siti Sundari: Co-Founder of D’Harvest

Posted on | by angin

ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Dwi Siti Sundari and I am the co-founder of D’Harvest, along with my husband. My business has been engaged in local snacks for about 3 years in the Tomohon area, in North Sulawesi. We utilize local crops such as goroho bananas that is available only in Sulawesi and develop them into banana chips that have a longer shelf life. We also produce snacks made of sweet potatoes, corn and beans for local souvenirs.

Do you have a plantation, too?

I do not, but there are an abundance of bananas in this region, so I had a thought: if we sell bananas as raw materials, it will have a low value and low shelf life, but if it’s a processed bananas, it has up to 6 months of shelf life. We are mostly housewives, so we work as a collective to process these bananas in our respective kitchen, then we will gather together to do the packaging process. We do this in our leisure time, after we are done taking care of our households.

What was your previous work, and what made you want to start this business?

Previously I worked full time at church while looking to hone my skills. I used to just be in the kitchen as a housewife, baking, and so on. We take orders for small events, as well as larger ones for Christmas or other special events. Then I started to sell my products, but with business development services from the government, I ventured to develop the products, apply for P-IRT (food production licensing), so that my products could be marketed to supermarkets and modern markets.

What kind of challenges did you encounter on your entrepreneurial journey?

We have so many requests (for the products). The ability to fulfill the demand is sometimes lacking because we do not have the proper technology and machinery. Up until now, we only used manual equipment. Someone offered us to supply our products in Maluku and Papua regions, but we were not able to take the chance as we lack labour and machinery inputs,  even after our neighbors came and helped us.

There is high demand, but many of our orders cannot be fulfilled because our equipment remains manual. So, on average we sell 15 or 20 units. It is not a large sum, because we are limited in terms of production and marketing.

Have you tried to take a loan from the bank?

We’ve never before gotten funds from banks because there are many requirements and constraints, and so we have not thought about getting it from there. I don’t think I can afford to qualify; when there is a guarantee we have the money, but it is difficult to gain the necessary permission that sometimes makes it difficult for us.

Besides fundraising, what other needs does your company face?

More on the business development services, especially in technical skills. We want to grow bigger so that we can employ more people, and thus develop newer and bigger food ideas. However, we need knowledge and training — not just capital.

How is the issue of women’s empowerment important to you?

Currently, I listen to a lot of women, including my own employees. If they do not work and earn money, their household incomes are not enough — their husbands are away, working as drivers or manual laborers. The women have to find additional incomes for their children’s school fees. They cannot even afford their own needs if they do not have jobs. On the other hand, they do not qualify for most jobs like clerk jobs or storekeepers due to age restrictions.

It is because of what I see around me that I want to help. I do so by giving knowledge; in addition to cultivation, we provide craft lessons so that even if a woman is still living at home, she can still receive a little salary and be productive.

 

[RECAP] UNDP Indonesia, Government of Canada, ANGIN Roadshow: Lampung

Posted on | by angin

 

ANGIN, together with UNDP Indonesia and the Government of Canada, just finished a 2-day workshop in Lampung (19/02 – 20/02) aimed at empowering social enterprises in the agricultural value chain. The event was also supported by Connector.ID, which provided full-day individual consulting session for those seeking external funding.

 

Opening remarks were given by Deputy Director of UNDP Indonesia, Francine Pickup, continued by Roadshow program introduction by Natalia Rialucky (Head of Impact Investing at ANGIN) and Valencia Dea (Principal of ANGIN), as well as Connector.ID introduction by Meredith Peng (Director of Connector.ID).

The main event began with an inspirational talk by Sabrina Mustopo, co-founder of Krakakoa, who shared the story of her chocolate company which aims to empower farmers by implementing a bean-to-bar concept, which helps farmers to capture higher value add and ultimately, larger amount of income.

 

 

During her session, Sabrina mentioned three key messages:

  • Network is crucial. Sabrina started with no access to farmers and limited knowledge on agriculture. All were overcame as she enlarged her network and actively asked questions to people
  • Fundraise more. Sabrina recommended to fundraise more than initial estimation as it will allow entrepreneurs to focus more on growing the business than tightening the budget due to capital limitation
  • Set a strong “Why”. Based on her experience, Sabrina reminded that social entrepreneurs’ journey will be filled with a lot of challenges that can break their spirit down, especially when no solid motivation is in place

 

After Sabrina’s talk show, the event was followed with three-series of workshops. ANGIN team led two workshops, Investment Readiness and Sustainability and Scalability; while UNDP Indonesia Technical Advisor of SDGs, Ansye Sopacua, filled in a workshop on Impact Measurement.

On the second day, ANGIN team and Connector.ID provided a series of one-on-one meetings with participants, with an aim to mainly support them on fundraising.

We were very happy to see more than 50 engaging entrepreneurs who do not come only from Lampung but also from other cities in Sumatera, Jakarta, Bogor, and Bandung. We would love to thank all the participants for their activeness and eagerness to learn. Wishing you all the best!

[RECAP] UNDP Indonesia, Government of Canada, ANGIN Roadshow: Manado

Posted on | by angin

 

ANGIN team, together with the Government of Canada and the UNDP Indonesia organized a one-day roadshow in Manado last Thursday (22/02).

Exceeding our initial expectation, there were over 40 participants from a diverse set of business background; from tech enabler startup for commodity export-import, brick-and-mortar producers, to handicraft maker from agricultural waste.

 

The event was opened by UNDP Indonesia Technical Advisor for Innovative Financing, Ikhsan Modjo, followed by a welcoming remarks from Michella Irawan, a Manado-based Nexus Indonesia Leader, and an inspirational talk show with the founder of DuitHape, Sara Dhewanto. In her session, Sara shared her challenges and lesson learned in running her business as well as in fundraising. She reminded everyone that building networks is important, not only to gain knowledge, but also to have a bigger voice in enforcing certain agenda/ issue (Example is Fintech association). Sara also emphasized the importance of understanding potential investor before they enter your company; as each has different characteristic and not all is a fit for you.

 

 

Post talk show and lunch break, ANGIN team led two workshops. One was on Investment Readiness and the other was about Scalability and Sustainability.We were left impressed by the activeness of the crowd, especially during interactive game sessions! The event was continued by several one-on-one meetings, dinner, and networking session.

 

Our roadshow was supported by Connector.ID and ANGIN’s Women Spotlight. Director of Connector.ID, Meredith Peng, provided assistance for participants who were seeking external funding, Meanwhile, Samantha from ANGIN’s Women Spotlight conducted a series of interviews with several inspiring women entrepreneurs in Manado. Among them was an women empowerment initiative that aims to equip housewives with the knowledge to produce fish-based snacks; hence providing them with a source of income. Kindly look forward for their stories on our separate blog posts!