Building an Inclusive Ecosystem, SheHacks Took Women Founders on an Australian Validation Tour
Five of Indonesia’s most promising female-led startups arrived in Sydney as part of the SheHacks validation tour, a pivotal initiative to foster transnational collaboration and mentorship between Australia and Indonesia. Sponsored by the Australia Indonesia Institute (AII) and Indonesian telco Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, the tour strengthened ties between the two countries’ startup ecosystems and offered valuable networking opportunities.
The five startups represented diverse industries, including Mebiso (an AI-powered intellectual property platform), WaterHub (a water management solution), Kasir Pintar (a cloud-based mobile PoS company), Dietela (a female nutrition and fitness platform), and Pin’J (a working capital facility for blue-collar and informal workers).
Strengthened Ties Between Indonesia and Australia
Vikram Sinha, President, Director & CEO of Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, emphasized empowering female entrepreneurs. “These entrepreneurs represented the best of Indonesia’s innovation ecosystem and demonstrated the crucial role diversity played in reshaping traditionally male-dominated industries,” he said. “Programs like SheHacks were essential for creating opportunities for women to innovate and lead.”
Echoing these sentiments, Mega Prawita, Managing Director of KUMPUL, a Jakarta-based innovation enabler working with Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison to create SheHacks, remarked, “These are among the most promising startups to come out of Indonesia, currently experiencing strong growth throughout the region, and with exciting potential to achieve real success in Australia and other overseas markets.”
The SheHacks validation tour allowed these founders to pitch their ideas to Australian VCs and investors. “These five founders successfully brought innovative solutions to market in Indonesia, and it was clear their startups deserved serious consideration in Australia and beyond,” said Jo Robyn, operating partner with Blacknova VC.
Business Women Australia National Director Lyn Hawkins highlighted the mentorship opportunities the founders gained from their Australian counterparts. “By connecting with progressive VCs and entrepreneurs, the SheHacks founders accessed valuable advice and explored potential partnerships that opened up international growth opportunities,” she explained.
Mentorship and the Role of Female Founders
This collaboration came when Indonesia and Australia sought to deepen trade relations and expand innovation across multiple sectors. The opportunity to mentor and support female founders from both countries was seen as a critical step in strengthening the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the region.
Mentorship was recognized as a crucial factor for success in the fast-paced startup environment, where founders faced challenges such as financing, hiring, and navigating intellectual property issues. “Many female founders doubted themselves, but they had the potential to make a real impact if they believed in themselves and had the right mentors,” said Lyonda Huwaidi, CEO of WaterHub. This company addressed clean water scarcity through low-cost filtration kiosks.
Hesti Rosa, CEO of Mebiso, an intellectual property platform, encouraged other women to trust their unique perspectives. “Stepping into the unknown required courage and resilience,” she said. “They didn’t have to be afraid to bring their full selves to the table.”
The Future of Female Entrepreneurship
Keren Natalia, a mentor with SmartQMS and a Sydney-based female entrepreneur, praised the opportunity for the SheHacks founders to learn from Australia’s startup ecosystem. “It was a great chance for Indonesia’s best and brightest women to gain insights while showcasing the potential of one of the world’s largest economies” she noted.
The female founders themselves echoed the importance of mentorship. Tri Mutiara Ramdani, CEO of Dietela, explained, “Women often viewed success differently, considering how many people their ideas impacted. They should go for it if they believed in what they were doing.” Susinto, CEO of Pin’J, emphasized the value of validation, stating, “Women with strong business ideas had the opportunity to bring unique perspectives that ensured their ideas were validated.”
Sitti Raisya, CMO of Kasir Pintar, added, “Having female directors created better balance and provided the best perspectives and solutions to our problems. To all the women thinking about launching a startup, I said, ‘Dare to dream.'”
As SheHacks continued to empower women entrepreneurs across Indonesia, the validation tour in Australia marked a significant milestone, connecting these startups with mentors, investors, and a global network of like-minded innovators. This collaboration underscored the importance of supporting female founders in driving transformative change across industries.
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Written by Diyah Trisasmita
Sources: iTWire; startupdaily