[Indonesia][Event] Startup Asia Jakarta 2012

Earlier this year in February, the Startups in Asia conference in Singapore saw Singapore-based social collaborative learning platform Teamie emerging victorious from a pool of nineteen regional startups pitching in a ‘Startup Arena’ to win a US$10,000 prize. Buoyed by the success of that event, the Tech In Asia team will be organizing another ‘Startup Arena’, this time in Jakarta, Indonesia on Jun 7-8, 2012.

Run within Startup Asia Jakarta 2012, the Startup Arena is a startup competition that’s positioned as a launchpad for entrepreneurs seeking to get a headstart in Asia’s mobile and internet industry. About 20 startups will be selected to pitch in the Startup Arena, in front of top investors, industry leaders, and press for US$10,000 as a top prize. If you’re an Indonesian-based startup – or from the region but willing to travel to Jakarta to pitch – you can submit your applications here. Submissions are reviewed based on a first-come-first-served basis, hence it would be to your advantage if you submit your application early and start prepping your killer pitches.

Participating in events like these can have positive implications for startups, especially those who need to validate their ideas or are seeking partners, investors or even employees. For example, along with Teamie, other finalists at Startup Arena Singapore such as GushCloud and Phroni have gone on to secure seed funding. “The Arena gave me confidence in my pitching skills,” says Shivanu Shukla, co-founder of Teamie, “and the validation from the judges and the audience in our startup. Of course, winning the Arena meant a huge deal to me and my team.”

“As an entrepreneur you are constantly battling challenges, and sometimes you need some external motivations. It’s great to get validation for your idea, your company and the hard work that everyone in the team is putting behind it,” adds Shukla.