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On-demand services remain popular, but two startups stand out among the 13 startups at 1000 Startup Demo Day

The 1000 Startup event in Indonesia ended its incubation stage in three cities —Jakarta, Surabaya, and Jogjakarta— today with a Demo Day at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Central Jakarta.

Thirty-three startups came out as semifinalists from the three cities, and their number is narrowed down to 13 startups eligible to present their ideas at Demo Day.

1000 Startup Executive Director Enda Nasution stated that in total the programme received more than 4,000 applicants in all three cities.

The majority of participants in the programme are between 18-30 years old, and their background ranging from students to professionals working in corporations.

He mentioned gender balance as the challenge that the programme is facing, and wish to improve in the upcoming batches.

“The number [of female participants] still falls under 25 per cent in each city,” he stated.

Following the six month-long program, 1000 Startups will continue its search for startups in seven other Indonesian cities.

The programme is hosted by venture builder Kibar as part of its support to the Indonesian government plan to build the country’s digital industry.

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The startups

 

Of all the startups pitching their business at the Demo Day, e27 noticed that many of them are working in on-demand services.

The services that they offered ranging from private tutor, electrician, to tailors.

In this category, Jakarta-based Goodjob stands out by offering on-demand air conditioner cleaning services for B2B clients. The segmentation allows the startup to have an edge when compared to similar startups such as Seekmi, Sejasa, Tukang.id, or Ahlijasa.

It is interesting to note that two of the most outstanding startups have services related to religious practice, with Islam being the focus. This approach is not surprising considering Indonesia as the world’s largest Muslim population.

Qtaaruf is an Islamic dating platform that enables users to meet potential husbands and wives online.

The startup facilitates ta’aruf, a sharia-based arranged marriage system where aspiring bride and groom meet through the assistance of a cleric. The cleric will introduce the potential couple with marriage as the end goal, if the couple agrees to it.

The startup takes the whole process online by combining algorithm and manual curation: Users register to the platform, have their personal data (i.e age, salary, hobbies) processed through algorithm to meet their potential match, then a cleric will introduce the user to potential matches.

The potential couple will have their first date online (through video call) with the cleric moderating the process.

Qtaaruf claimed to have 202 registered users with 30 of them already ongoing the matchmaking process. The platform operates on a freemium basis, and is fostering partnership with clerics and psychologists.

The Qtaaruf service is currently available as a desktop platform, with a mobile app on the way.

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The next promising startup is Karapan, an end-to-end cattle farm management platform.

Karapan’s services ranging from farm management, online marketplace for beef products, and an investment platform for cattle farm business.

The startup particularly targets Idul Adha holiday, where sales of beef and mutton tend to peak due to increasing demand of cattle for qurban ritual.

The startup partners with Surabaya municipal government and is curated by Indonesia’s central bank Bank Indonesia. Their mobile app is even included in the curriculum of a local farmer training program.

Karapan’s end goal is to foster food self-sufficiency in Indonesia.

Both Qtaaruf and Karapan are originating from Surabaya.

The post Meet the most exciting startups pitching at Indonesia’s 1000 Startup Demo Day appeared first on e27.

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