Accelerating 24 Women-Led Startups Deliver Tech Solutions to Solve SDG Challenges

On the 27th of August 2021, 24 impact-oriented, women-led startups pitched online to the Indonesia Women Empowerment Fund (IWEF) and other impact investors and ecosystem partners in Indonesia and abroad as part of “SheDisrupts Indonesia 2021” program.

Initiated by IWEF and Creatella Impact, in partnership with Investing in Women, UN Women, UNDP, and Citibank, “SheDisrupts” program aimed to empower Indonesian women entrepreneurs to build and scale innovative and tech-driven business solutions to complex social and environmental issues in Indonesia.

“Creatella impact identifies promising social enterprises, and provides a range of services to strengthen their business model and presence, and increase chances of access to funding. We do this by applying the world best practices, but also, continuously learning together in this dynamically shifting industry," said Nozomi Witherspoon, the Board Director and Treasurer of Creatella Impact.

The venture competition was launched in June 2021. From all the applications, 50 startups were selected for a round of 1:1 mentorship with 57 experienced impact investors, entrepreneurs and advisors from around the world.

24 promising startups were selected from this shortlisted pool of 50, and were invited to join the 2-week pre-acceleration. The curriculum of the pre-acceleration included lectures, workshops, group work and 1-on-1 mentoring on business, technology and impact-related topics, with a strong focus on gender issues and women empowerment.

"We are proud to be part of the mentoring team for the founders, to witness that these talented and mission-driven women founders are not only more conversant on gender equality but also empowered to bring changes to the industry, creating an impact on women’s empowerment. We hope that more acceleration programs in Indonesia will adopt a similar gender-responsive approach to fully unlock women's potential in the tech and digital economy sectors," said Jamshed Kazi, UN Women Indonesia's Representative and Liaison to ASEAN.

Atiek Fadhilah, the founder of start-up Teroka, a mobile cooling box powered by solar energy, shared her testimonial as one of the 24 selected participants. “SheDisrupts 2021 were the most intense weeks for me. The courses provided are detailed but also applicable to my business. I received much input and encouragement from the mentors. The sharing sessions from women entrepreneurs were very interactive, and I thank everyone behind SheDisrupts for the enlightening experience. My team and I have become more confident about taking the next step in our journey.”

The 2-week pre-acceleration program concluded on Friday, the 27th August with a public virtual demo day, which was attended by 150 investors, mentors, and partners.

“I would like to extend my deepest congratulations for all 24 ventures present today. I hope that this initiative serves as a platform to inspire and encourage you all to share innovative ideas and help work through these difficult times. It has been extraordinary to see the exceptional support delivered especially given that we are now in the decade of action as we work towards the SDGs,” said Sophie Kemkhadze, Deputy Resident Representative for UNDP Indonesia.

Brief descriptions about pitching startups can be found in the website here: https://shedisruptsindonesia2021.pory.app/