Collaboratively leveraging agritech for resilient and inclusive growth
Indonesia is an agricultural powerhouse with over 42 million hectares under cultivation, yet productivity is widely considered to be suboptimal. According to the World Bank, 93 percent of Indonesia's agriculture output is dominated by smallholder farmers who earn an average of US$ 3.20 per day, younger generations are becoming increasingly uninterested in the sector.
Using drones, ARIA wants to change the ‘old face’ of the farming industry
Born into a family with a farming machinery business, William Sjaichudin has long been familiar with Indonesia’s farmers and agricultural dynamics since he was a kid. After graduating from Purdue University as a professional golfer, William returned home to help with the family business. He discovered that the Indonesian agriculture industry has yet to be transformed by technological advances like other industries.
Dare to dream: Kevin Zhang, founder and CEO of Inteluck
Kevin Zhang, 28, is the founder and CEO of data-driven logistics startup Inteluck. Headquartered in Singapore—with offices in the Philippines, Thailand and China—the startup allows its enterprise customers to book delivery trucks and track them on its digital platform. It also offers other services including warehousing and storage.
Investment keeps pace, East Ventures looks deeper into startup fundamentals
The global supply chain crisis from the Russo-Ukrainian war and the tightening policies by the Chinese government have resulted in many central banks worldwide raising their benchmark interest rates, and the capital market is more gloomy than it was in the middle of last year.
How Desty elevates MSMEs to thrive in Indonesia’s growing commerce ecosystem
Mulyono Xu, a local Acehnese man, had spent most of his life in China since he started studying in China almost 20 years ago. His seasoned experience in e-commerce solutions in one of China’s giant tech marketplaces, Alibaba Group, gave him a ‘time-travel advantage’, a fresh perspective on what Indonesians need as the country’s digital ecosystem matures and the solution for it.
Why maintaining employees’ mental health is important for companies
The COVID-19 pandemic has come under control, with some work activities returning to the pre-covid working situation, such as coming to the office. However, companies cannot deny that the work-life balance during and post-pandemic has shifted the way people work and think about productivity. The dynamic situation has led to increased mental health concerns, including impacted stress levels among employees.
Cold chain may be the next opportunity for Indonesia’s logistics startups
Indonesian last-mile logistics startup Paxel found that almost half of its shipments are of frozen food – primarily from MSMEs sending their products to customers. This is despite the company’s fleet mainly made up of motorcycles that are not equipped with any kind of refrigeration.
Pushing financial literacy after inclusion
Financial inclusion is crucial for any nation to accelerate economic growth by improving equal financial access and support for doing business, such as transactions, payments, savings, credit and insurance. Financial inclusion will foster entrepreneurship and scalability, which will lead to reducing poverty and economic inequality in the long term.