Berlin x Jakarta – journey of innovation to Indonesia
5. September 2023 - Berlin and the Indonesian capital Jakarta have been twinned since 1994. One year before the 30th anniversary of the city partnership, Franziska Giffey, Senator for Economic Affairs, is traveling with Berlin companies to Jakarta to discuss the roadmap for further, deeper cooperation. Common areas of interest are to be explored with actors from business and civil society from both metropolises in order to further focus and sustainably consolidate the partnership.
One reason for the trip in particular is the opening of the Jakarta Future City Hub, a project resulting from the long-standing cooperation between Berlin and Jakarta. The hub is intended to be the central contact point for startups and founders in Jakarta, strengthen the connection between the startup economy and the public sector and promote innovation in the field of smart cities. It offers a design thinking lab, a co-working area, an amphitheatre for events as well as a podcast studio and rooms for workshops. The Jakarta Future City Hub was created as part of the EU project "Smart Change - Strengthening Urban Governance, Prosperity and Innovation in Jakarta", which was implemented by the Senate Department for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises as lead partner together with the Jakarta city council and funded by the EU programme "European Commission on local Authorities: Partnerships for sustainable cities". The infrastructure created as part of the project will lay the foundation for further urban innovations in and for the smart Future City Jakarta and for cooperation in this field between Berlin and Jakarta.
In addition to the opening ceremony, Mayor and Senator Giffey, accompanied by a Berlin business delegation, will visit Indonesian companies and government representatives to gain an insight into local economic structures.
Mayor and Senator for Economic Affairs, Energy and Public Enterprises Franziska Giffey: "Jakarta is facing similar challenges as Berlin, especially in the areas of digitalisation and energy transition and thus also in the needed transformation of the economy. We want to use this trip to bring approaches to solutions and experiences of our partner city in these transformation processes to Berlin. Both cities are also hotspots for startups both within their countries and internationally. They offer many investment opportunities and opportunities for founders. The focus of the trip is therefore to further improve cooperation and exchange in this field. We will maintain an active connection to the hub via our AsiaBerlin network and can offer interested startups and companies from Berlin, as well as our administration, a first point of contact in Jakarta.”
Berlin Partner CEO Stefan Franzke says: “Every network thrives on exchange. With trips like the one to Jakarta, we maintain and expand our contacts in Asia. The continent is one of our most important target markets and we see the need to build bridges in countries like Indonesia that are not yet as familiar to us as China, Japan and Singapore – for today as well as for the future.”
IHK President Sebastian Stietzel: "This trip comes at the right time, because Indonesia is currently opening up for international economic cooperation. German products and technologies enjoy an excellent reputation in Indonesia, but at the same time the full potential of economic cooperation is not yet being exploited. During the delegation trip, we therefore want to explore the Indonesian market as well as cooperation opportunities for Berlin's innovative and internationally active companies."
The Indonesian economy is one of the largest and most dynamic in Southeast Asia. It is characterised by a diverse industry, a very young population and abundant natural resources. Today's local startup ecosystem developed around 2010, when leading tech startups in the country such as Tokopedia, Bukalapak, Go-Jek and Traveloka were launched. The successful growth of these startups inspired the new generation of Indonesians, who have often studied abroad, to come back to their home country and found startups themselves, thereby further developing the country's startup ecosystem. The startup scene has been growing rapidly since 2015, which in recent years has led to the emergence of nine unicorns, i.e. startup companies with a valuation of over one billion US dollars.
