DANA & Ant Group Announce First SisBerdaya Program's Local Women Entrepreneur Winners

Six Grand Winners were declared in Jakarta by SisBerdaya , a local project by DANA and Ant Group on 5^th June, aimed at strengthening Indonesian women entrepreneurs, mostly from ultra-micro and micro firms. They represent a wide variety of sectors, including food production and handicrafts.

Siti Aswinda from Medan, who owns a restaurant named "Bakso Makiji" in the micro business category, and Efariany from Pekanbaru, who owns "Rumah Bawang Kadedika" in the ultra-micro company category, are the grand winners of the final pitching competition from Area 1 (Kalimantan and Sumatera).

The Grand Winners from Area 2 (Sulawesi, Java, Nusa Tenggara, Bali, and Papua) are Musridawanti from Makassar with a handicraft company called "Whantie Collection" in the ultra-micro business category and Eka Shandy from Makassar with a weaving and handicraft business called "Dituta" in the micro business category.

Inne Viryani from Tangerang, who runs a business called "Coklat and Sambal Kurma Riasafood" in the micro business category, and Romauli Sri Astuti from Central Jakarta, who owns a fried onion-based company called "Ulimus," are the Grand Winners of Area 3 (Greater Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi).

Based on the business proposals they presented during the final pitching competition, the six Grand Winners stood out. The company concept, operational scalability, financial predictions, and digital innovation, including digital marketing and payment flexibility with QRIS, are among the evaluation factors.

For the purpose of pursuing their expansion strategies, each of the Grand Winners is eligible to receive a reward of IDR 20 million (for the ultra-micro company category) or IDR 35 million (for the micro business category).

The evening also honoured an additional 24 Outstanding Women Entrepreneurs. They will each get a $1,000 reward to use as startup capital for their companies. The female entrepreneurs come from a variety of industries, such as textiles, handicrafts, packaged foods, and more.

"Congratulations to all winners of the SisBerdaya programme for their dedication and efforts in completing the series of selection, mentorship, and training processes," stated Agustina Samara, Chief People and Corporate Strategy Officer DANA Indonesia. We consider it an honour to see how quickly each member is obtaining a better grasp of company digitalization and creating a stronger long-term business plan. We also want to express our gratitude to everyone who helped the first SisBerdaya run well. Collaboration is one of the keys to Indonesian women being economically independent, as the SisBerdaya programme has shown.

The first SisBerdaya has been a success, and now the winners and excellent businesswomen from the programme may start pursuing their goals and inspirations. To help more like-minded women thrive, we would want to urge all SisBerdaya participants to keep interacting with one another and their community, stated Ms. Carrie Suen, Senior Advisor, Global Affairs & Sustainability Strategies, Ant Group. "Working with such a broad set of local women entrepreneurs running micro and ultra-micro firms from various locations, sectors, and backgrounds has been a humbling experience. We are pleased to have assisted DANA in helping them realise their full potential on a worldwide basis.

From March to May 2023, the SisBerdaya programme was in effect for the previous three months. 180 candidates were chosen to participate in a one-month mentoring and skills training programme from a bench of experts from DANA, Ant Group, and other industry and government partners after receiving over 2,400 applications from various locations across Indonesia.

The Financial Services Authority's Rose Dian Sundari, DANA Indonesia's Chief People and Corporate Strategy Officer Agustina Samara, and Ant Gro's Senior Advisor, Global Affairs & Sustainability Strategies Carrie Suen served as the jury for the final pitching competition, in which 30 finalists from three different area categories representing micro and ultra-micro businesses participated.

Edwin Nurhadi, Director of Financial Inclusion Development of the Financial Services Authority (OJK), and Elsya M. S. Chani, Head of MSME Development and Inclusive Finance Group, Department of MSME Development and Consumer Protection of Bank Indonesia, both attended the final pitching competition and award gala of SisBerdaya.

The Financial Services Authority's (OJK) Edwin Nurhadi, Director of Financial Inclusion Development, stated: "We at OJK would want to express our thanks for the implementation of SisBerdaya. This programme is in line with initiatives by the government and OJK. Additionally, we ask that Ministries, Institutions, and MSMEs collaborate to improve financial literacy. Anything is feasible if approached in the same attitude.”

“We welcome DANA and Ant Group's efforts as tangible proof of the expansion of women's MSMEs in Indonesia, said Elsya M. S. Chani, Head of MSME Development and Inclusive Finance Group, Department of MSME Development and Consumer Protection of Bank Indonesia. We are sure that attendees will go away with fresh perspectives and entrepreneurial empowerment tactics. The business of MSME empowerment requires the cooperation of all stakeholders. It is hoped that this endeavour would not terminate but rather continue to grow.”

DANA and Ant Group will keep an eye on the progress of each winner's business plan and, if necessary, offer collaborative business counselling services with DANA staff to the winners in order to build a long-lasting and successful programme.