Jokowi Asks To Startup Help MSMEs Connect To A Digital Platform

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has asked start-ups or startups to help micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) so that more and more of these businesses are connected to digital economy platforms.

According to Jokowi, this is a big opportunity because of the approximately 65.4 million MSMEs in Indonesia, only around 19 million have entered the digital platform.

"What I have always said is that we have 65.4 million MSMEs, but there are only 19 million that enter the digital platform. So there is still a very large space for us to do there," Jokowi said as quoted by Antara, Monday, September 26.

Jokowi admitted that along with efforts to penetrate the digital economy platform, there are still several problems that must also be handled by MSME actors such as packaging problems, production quality, and production capacity.

However, efforts to connect MSMEs to digital platforms must still be encouraged and can be captured as an opportunity by startup actors.

According to the President, the same applies to the health sector which can be an opportunity for startup players.

"We are a country with 17,000 islands, 514 regencies/cities, 34 provinces, what can we do so that our health can jump?" he said.

"Telemedicine can be connected, long-distance operations can be connected to platforms, with applications," said the President giving an example.

The Head of State emphasized that foresight to see market needs should be a major aspect for start-ups before building startups.

The reason is, this dominates 42 percent of startup failures that are still in the pioneering stage.

"Be careful 80-90 percent of startups failed while still pioneering. Because once again they don't see the existing market needs, what should the existing market needs be," said the President.

On the same occasion, SOE Minister Erick Thohir reported that SOE Startup Day was held by presenting 150 excavators, 250 startups in 12 clusters in BUMN, 22 state-owned companies seeking to see the potential for business matching, five assistant venture capital, and at least 5,000 invited endors.

"There are five SOE Startup Day businesses, pitching investors, rapid mentoring startups, conferences, and of course exhibitions. Please support the President and the government so that this can be a big wave for Indonesia's digital economy progress as one of future economic growth," said Erick.

In addition to the Minister of SOEs, Jokowi accompanied President Jokowi in the opening of SOE Startup Day, namely Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung, Acting Governor of Banteng Al Muktabar, and Ahmed Zaki Iskandar.