The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will bring 10 Indonesian start-up companies to the 2022 South by South West (SXSW) event to be held in Austin, the United States, on March 11-20, 2022.
“I congratulate the 10 selected start-ups that have passed the assessment from the cross-agency selection committee team,” Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Uno noted in a virtual event, Tuesday.
The 10 start-up companies to feature in the largest creative industry exhibition in music, film, digital content, and pop culture in the US were chosen from the results of a selection conducted by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Ministry of Industry, Ministry of Communication and Informatics, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and Bali Startup.
The 10 selected start-up companies are Peduli Lindungi, Sahabat Gemarikan, Ruang Guru, Ruang Halal, Tiga Token Digital, Eresto, Lokapoin, UMG Idealab, Omni Hotelier, and Everidea Interactive.
Uno remarked that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy’s support for start-up companies in the 2022 SXSW was in response to the issues raised at the G20 Presidential forum, especially related to digital transformation and global health awareness.
“Hopefully, in future, Indonesia would have a bigger role to play in creating more inclusive world governance for all people,” he remarked.
On the occasion, Uno also lauded the start-up companies for their persistence in fighting and surviving amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The minister reminded them to always apply the principles of hard, smart, thorough, and sincere work in every effort to achieve success and reach their potential.
The minister expressed hope that the start-ups at the 2022 SXSW would gain benefits and lessons from business transactions that are beneficial for their business continuity, revitalizing the economy, driving job creation, and planning the transition to a new economy.
Meanwhile, Deputy for Strategic Policy at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Nia Niscaya, stated that Indonesia’s delegation would present the theme of “Exploring Digital Wonders of Indonesia” at the 2022 SXSW.
“This theme implies an invitation and hope for the world to know more about the potential of Indonesia’s creative economy sector, especially the application sub-sector,” Niscaya noted.
Indonesia will participate virtually in the 2022 SXSW event amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has readied a virtual exhibition platform called the “Indonesian Pavilion” that can be accessed through the sxsw.indonesia.travel.
“This virtual exhibition platform will be designed as an optimal packaging for start-up companies in order to open up opportunities to build networks and to facilitate wider exposure both nationally and internationally,” she stated.
Niscaya also noted that Indonesia’s participation in this international exhibition is important to showcase that the domestic creative industry is ready to compete in an effort to create a more advanced digital ecosystem.
“We all hope that the government’s efforts to bring Indonesian start-ups into the global market would be successful and would lead to a business deal,” she stated.
Meanwhile, the CEO of Everidea Interactive, Hendra Arazzi, is optimistic of his company’s participation in the 2022 SXSW event increasing their exposure as well as helping to obtain funding and getting potential partners to work with in order to develop products.
Source: Antara News