Jakarta, 26 March 2021 –As part of efforts to provide more jobs for Indonesian youth, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) led by the Citi Foundation, in partnership with Indonesia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, today hosted the Youth Co;Lab bootcamp, which aimed to support  budding young entrepreneurs. Six contestants were chosen among 40 entries to receive funding and support to boost their business.

The event, held in collaboration with venture capital firm Kinara Indonesia was divided into five categories including creative economy, tourism, agriculture, environment — which mainly focused on waste management—, education and capacity building. Each participant was required to pitch their ideas, which had to include a reference to addressing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), within a five-minute time frame. Entries were judged on the viability of the business, sustainability of the enterprise, innovation, capacity to run the business and level of personal motivation.

Participants from the provinces of West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, East Kalimantan, Papua, Maluku, West Sumatra, and South Sumatra submitted their ideas.

Youth Co:Lab is part of Citi and the Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress initiative to prepare urban youth to thrive in today's economy. Through this programmes, Citi and Citi Foundation, help youth develop their skills and equip them with the tools need to launch their careers addressed the challenges faced by the ongoing pandemic.

“As the economies in Indonesia and around the world begins its long recovery process following the pandemic, it is imperative that we develop programs like this to help youth to get a head start. These programs can help cushion some of the problems to overcome the lasting pandemic impact.”, said Puni A. Anjungsari, Country Head of Corporate Affairs, Citi Indonesia

“The youth have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic especially in terms of employment. Working together, we can help offset some of the setbacks that youth have faced with these new opportunities as entrepreneurs. I wish all teams every success as they work towards establishing their businesses as we partner with Indonesia to achieve the SDGs following the pandemic,” said Muhammad Didi Hardiana, Head of Innovative Financing Lab, UNDP Indonesia.

Participants were coached on preparation and presentation skills by Kinara Indonesia and Gadjah Mada University. The panel of judges included representatives from companies in various industries including Waste4Change, Tiket.com, TaniHub, and representatives from government ministries including the Ministries of Agriculture and also Creative Economy & Tourism.

Of the six entries chosen, three winners will be sponsored by UNDP and the remaining three by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The support involves funding and mentorship to help guide the enterprises to the next stage.

“There were several entries that presented convincing arguments for success. Although we had to make some difficult choices, I wish all participants the best of luck as they work on establishing their business and transforming their great ideas into real opportunities,” said Rosabella Sarudin - AVP of Product Accommodation, Tiket.com

The winners from Youth Co:Lab Bootcamp 2020 were Kulaku Indonesia, from Palembang whose focus is on empowering coconut farmers, Sa Perempuan Papua whose focus is on women’s empowerment through capacity building in Papua, and Halo Food based in South Sulawesi whose focus is on sustainable farming. All three winners were awarded grants by UNDP of up to IDR 10 million (around USD 690) to further amplify their impact.

Three of the winners of the Youth Co:Lab Bootcamp held previously were also awarded grants by the Ministry of Youth and Sports. These included Komerce (previously known as Kampung Marketers) which focuses on digitalizing MSMEs, Blantix for its work on sustainable farming in East Java and East Nusa Tenggara, and Adek O UMKM a sustainable farming business and incubator based in East Nusa Tenggara

The first two winners selected by UNDP Indonesia will join the Youth Co:Lab Asia and Pacific Summit where stakeholders of the youth entrepreneurship ecosystem will be present, including youth entrepreneurs, business representatives and government representatives. Participants will pitch their ideas to a larger audience involving others from around the Asia Pacific during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit scheduled for June this year.

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MEDIA CONTACTS

Tomi Soetjipto, UNDP Indonesia Communication Specialist, suryo.tomi@undp.org

Ranjit Jose, UNDP Indonesia Communication and Advocacy Specialist, ranjit.jose@undp.org

Puni A. Anjungsari, Country Head of Corporate Affairs, Citi Indonesia, corporateaffairs.indonesia@citi.com

Muhammad Didi Hardiana, Head of Innovative Financing Lab, Muhammad.hardiana@undp.org