UMPUL, Indonesia’s largest entrepreneurship ecosystem enabler with a network extending across the Asia Pacific region, officially opened the KUMPUL Connect for Change Summit, or C4C Summit, 2026 today under the theme Reimagine Impact. Entering its second year, the summit brings together more than 1,000 representatives from 16 countries to reassess how cross sector and cross regional collaboration can create tangible impact for business growth in Southeast Asia.
Reimagine Impact is grounded in one belief: business growth challenges do not exist in isolation. Addressing them requires the involvement of entrepreneurs, governments, corporations, investors, ecosystem builders, and communities within the same effort.
Reimagine Impact: Cross Sector Collaboration for Tangible Impact
The theme Reimagine Impact was selected to reassess how business growth support systems can respond to the needs of the Missing Middle, a group of entrepreneurs with significant potential to contribute to economic growth but who remain disconnected from the support systems they need.
Southeast Asia is home to approximately 71 million small and growing businesses, or SGBs, representing 97% of all businesses in the region. This scale underlines the relevance of a cross sector approach.
Faye Wongso, Founder and Chairperson of KUMPUL and KUMPUL Impact, emphasized that addressing the Missing Middle requires participation across sectors.
“No single sector has ever been able to address the challenges of the Missing Middle alone, whether capital, policy, or technology,” said Faye.
Faye added, “KUMPUL is the first, if not the only, organization that works to bring one pole on a commercial pole, with the development sector pole, which usually works on different sides.”
She further explained that business growth depends on structural support beyond access to capital.
“More than just access to capital, business growth requires two structural pillars: the right financing instrument for each business, and the technical assistance to unlock supply chain flow. And neither pillar can stand on one sector alone. We believe that a rising tide lifts all boats,” Faye said in closing her opening remarks.
The financing gap reflects this challenge. Less than 30% of businesses within Southeast Asia’s Missing Middle have access to formal financing. The annual financing gap across ASEAN exceeds USD 300 billion, equivalent to approximately IDR 5.38 quadrillion. In Indonesia, the MSME financing gap is estimated at USD 234 billion, according to IFC and the World Bank.
Connecting Perspectives Across Sectors and Countries
To address this complexity, KUMPUL Connect for Change Summit 2026 brings a cross sector approach through four interconnected areas of discussion.
The technology and innovation track examines ecosystem openness to innovation, developments in emerging technologies, and future investment directions. The social and environmental impact track discusses nature based solutions and efforts to strengthen inclusive supply chains. The community capacity track focuses on the role of people and communities in building the social infrastructure that supports ecosystem sustainability. The global partnerships track explores opportunities for collaboration between Southeast Asia and partners across Asia, the Pacific, and Europe.
This cross sector approach brings together national and international perspectives to examine how challenges in Indonesia connect with economic shifts and emerging collaboration needs at regional and global levels.
During the session titled “Can the World Still Trust Us?”, Retno L.P. Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024, joined Rudiantara, Minister of Communication and Information Technology of the Republic of Indonesia from 2014 to 2019 and Advisor to KUMPUL and KUMPUL Impact.
The discussion explored trust in international relations, Indonesia’s position amid global dynamics, and the importance of cross border collaboration in responding to shared challenges.
“Indonesia is part of the global system. Therefore, we must continue strengthening our own capacity, move faster, and ensure that emerging innovations genuinely support Indonesia’s progress,” said Retno Marsudi.
An international perspective was presented through a session featuring Miguel Soriano, Country Anchor for Indonesia and Timor Leste at the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group.
Miguel highlighted the need for financing approaches that respond to the needs of the Missing Middle, including the use of technology, alternative risk assessment models, and cross sector collaboration to expand access to financing.
“The issue is not simply that there is not enough money, but that the links in the financing chain are still missing. We need to rethink how financing is designed and make it better aligned with how these businesses actually grow,” said Miguel Soriano.
The discussions at KUMPUL Connect for Change Summit 2026 were followed by forums designed to develop concrete next steps.
The Executive Lab Forum, or ELF, provided a strategic discussion space for stakeholders to examine complex challenges and formulate follow up actions. This year, ELF addressed two issues: developing AI adoption into solutions that create value and have investment potential, supported by BNI Ventures and AI Ignition; and designing catalytic capital pathways for small and growing businesses in Indonesia, supported by Tribhuwana Advisory.
KUMPUL Connect for Change Summit 2026 also hosted two business matching sessions designed around entrepreneurs’ specific needs.
BEKUP Business Matching, supported by Advancement Startups Indonesia, or ASTA, under the Ministry of Creative Economy and Creative Economy Agency of the Republic of Indonesia, facilitated creative economy startups in exploring strategic cooperation, business development, and investment opportunities with prospective partners.
Through SOLUSI Business Matching, social enterprises working in integrated land and seascape management in Indonesia were connected with prospective partners based on business needs and areas of collaboration interest. The session was designed to open partnership opportunities across inclusive value chains.
Advancing Innovation and Opening Business Partnership Opportunities
Mega Prawita, Managing Director of KUMPUL, closed the event by launching KUMPUL’s latest initiative, Venture Builder.
The scheme is designed to move collaboration between startups and corporate partners into concrete business pathways following initial meetings and presentations.
Venture Builder operates through three pathways: technology and business development collaboration through proof of concept projects, contracts, or joint ventures; market expansion through corporate partnerships, new markets, and distribution channels; and access to capital and business scaling through strategic investors and scale up support.
Connecting Global Partnerships Through the Innovation Tour
The KUMPUL C4C Summit 2026 series continued with the Innovation Tour on October 21, 2026, in collaboration with the Ministry of Creative Economy and Creative Economy Agency of the Republic of Indonesia and Living Lab Ventures.
Delegates from Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Japan, and the United States represented sectors including ecosystem building, accelerators and industry platforms, social impact and development, digital, AI and cloud, climate and agritech, and consulting and advisory. They attended the World Conference on Creative Economy, or WCCE, and visited the Biomedical Campus in BSD City to gain a closer view of Indonesia’s innovation ecosystem and build cross border connections.
KUMPUL Connect for Change Summit 2026 was supported by PETRONAS, BNI, UD Impact, Living Lab Ventures, BNI Ventures, and the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, or BMUKN, through the International Climate Initiative, or IKI, implemented by a consortium involving Yayasan KEHATI.
The series of activities also involved the Ministry of Creative Economy and Creative Economy Agency of the Republic of Indonesia, Tribhuwana Advisory, KUMPUL Leaders, or KULI, and BritCham Indonesia as strategic partners.
For collaboration opportunities, contact us at event@kumpul.id.
