I-SEA Welcomes 10 Social Enterprises for the Second Cohort, Kicking-Off with an Intensive Three-Day Bootcamp

Jakarta, [9 January 2024] – Instellar and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship are delighted to announce the launch of the second I-SEA cohort and welcome the ten new social enterprises to the programme.

The Instellar and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator (I-SEA) is a one-year programme to improve the lives of people from marginalised and excluded groups in Indonesia by strengthening the work of social enterprises. Together with IKEA Indonesia, the programme supports social enterprises in developing their businesses and scaling their impact by providing tailor-made guidance, mentorship, financing, and ecosystem support.

The ten selected enterprises (I-SEA Changemakers) will start their journey with an intensive three-day bootcamp at Tangerang from 14-16 January 2024. During the bootcamp, social enterprises will be provided with a dedicated space to reflect on their purpose, problems, and solutions; gain insight into IKEA’s organisation, values, and culture to refine business plans; cultivate collaboration among social enterprises and prepare them for the next steps of the programme.

After receiving over 300 applications from all across the nation, we are excited to welcome ten enterprises from the agriculture and circular economy sectors that are creating a positive impact by addressing some of the most pressing social and environmental challenges in Indonesia.

Agridesa is a digital, closed-loop agriculture enabler. Agridesa provides field support and technical assistance, on-farm monitoring tools, access to high-quality agricultural inputs, secured buying commitments from their off-taker partners, and facilitates access to financing for smallholder farmers across West Java, Bali, and Central Sulawesi.

Aluan is a women-led sustainable virgin coconut oil start-up committed to supporting farmers and conserving local forests. They work closely with the local community in Simeulue, Aceh, supporting farmers to implement regenerative coconut replanting, intercropping, and obtaining organic certification.

Conservana supports forest communities in Bali and Central Sulawesi that face difficulties in marketing their unique non-timber forest products due to their remote locations, poor infrastructure, and limited access to market information and networks.

Java Fresh, established in 2014, empowers Indonesian farmers by tapping into global demand for fresh tropical fruits, employing research and technology to extend shelf life, and providing skills and tools to micro-farmers and female packers to foster a more sustainable and fair economic system.

Nichoa Chocolate supports cocoa farmers in East Java and Bali in tackling climate change that affects cocoa growth and yield. Nichoa Chocolate also assists farmers in achieving standardised quality of production and provides customers with healthy chocolate products containing superfood nutrients.

PasarMIKRO is a unique digital trading platform for farmers and agriculture-traders. The platform improves data collection and traceability, ensuring faster and more reliable payments for farmers and suppliers in remote areas where agri commodities supply is coming from, such as West Java, Central Java, East Java, Lampung, and Bali.

Pepper Secret works closely with pepper farmers in Belitung, producing naturally handcrafted bath and home care products. With a focus on reforestation, particularly in former mining areas, Pepper Secret seeks to create systemic change by positively impacting local communities, the environment, and the agricultural industry.

Plana revolutionises plastic recycling by converting plastic waste and husk waste supplied by rice farmers into an innovative building material called Plana Wood, a sustainable and durable natural wood substitute. Operated in Banten, Plana aims to reduce unutilised plastic waste and rice husk, as well as deforestation caused by logging for wood production.

Rezycology provides a holistic plastic recycling monitoring system through a mobile application, an integrated dashboard, and partner development services. This system empowers plastic waste aggregators to digitise their businesses so they can increase their income. Rezycology operated in several areas, including Banten, West Java, Central Java, and Bali.

Tarunira optimizes Bali’s local natural resource, the palmyra palm tree (Borassus flabellifer Linn.), into organic palmyra sugar products by empowering local villagers, including farmers, women, and youth, in the villages of Karangasem, Bali. Tarunira provides local job opportunities with decent work conditions and a stable income, and reduces urbanisation in villages.

“Congratulations to the ten I-SEA Changemakers of Cohort 2. We believe that their work exemplifies the future of the economy, where business and social responsibility can go hand in hand. We look forward to seeing the growth of these social enterprises through I-SEA and together we can work towards sustainable development goals,” said Romy Cahyadi, CEO at Instellar.

“We’re excited to welcome the ten selected social enterprises to the second cohort of I-SEA. The critical social and environmental challenges we face today need to be addressed at many levels. At IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, we believe in the power of social enterprises to create lasting change and the diverse initiatives within this cohort, from sustainable agriculture to innovative plastic recycling, showcase the positive impact they can have on communities, livelihoods, and the environment. We’re looking forward to both supporting them and learning from these changemakers on their journey to scale,” said Åsa Skogström Feldt, Managing Director Social Entrepreneurship B.V.

“In line with the IKEA vision to create a better everyday life for many people, we consistently recognize the importance of making a positive contribution to society. Our partnership with IKEA Social Entrepreneurship and Instellar for the second I-SEA cohort is one example of our unwavering commitment to support local communities, including marginalized groups. Additionally, together with our co-workers, we will empower the ten selected social enterprises to strengthen their impact through tailor-made mentoring support,” said Adrian Worth, Managing Director of IKEA Indonesia.

“We are excited to be part of the I-SEA programme because we want to be able to measure our impact as well as understand how to scale up the impacts to more people and improve the lives of our beneficiaries,” said Margareta Astaman, CEO at Java Fresh.

For more information about the I-SEA programme and the selected enterprises, please visit isea.interstellar.id.