“The partnership of Wadhwani Foundation (NEN) and Business Innovation Centre (BIC) can make a significant contribution in increasing the number of Indonesian entrepreneurs. Currently, the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia is around 500,000, and with this collaborative effort, it is expected to increase to 5 million people, an increase of 2 percent of the population”, expressed Kris Santoso, Executive Director, BIC who was accompanied by Sunita Singh, Vice President, Wadhwani Foundation, on Thursday night during the inauguration of the collaboration between the two institutions.
Wadhwani Foundation announced the expansion of its initiative, National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN), which is a national network for the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, and has achieved significant success during the last ten years in India. NEN’s presence in Indonesia is in partnership with Business Innovation Centre (BIC), which has spearheaded the movement of innovation, science and technology-based entrepreneurship amongst academics, businesses and the government of Indonesia.
“Through this partnership”, added Kris, “BIC hopes to learn more while consolidate all its efforts with the help of NEN’s experience, to increase its capacity to build a vibrant ecosystem, which is not only important for entrepreneurship in Indonesia, but will also help with business development and the general economy in the long term”.
NEN has achieved great success in building a university-based entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. It has developed rich resources and a lot of experience, which has spread through its network of academics, businessmen, mentors, investors and other stakeholders. “This partnership will help us in achieving the dream, to increase the number of entrepreneurs in Indonesia to 5 million”, said Kris.
Kris said that BIC is often considered to have pioneered innovative initiatives in Indonesia through its efforts as an intermediary to bring academics, businesses and bureaucrats together, but still finds that the innovation and entrepreneurial environment is not as conducive as it could and should be.
On the same occasion, Vice President of Wadhwani Foundation, Sunita Singh said, “This partnership will allow us to interact and work with the entrepreneurial stakeholders in Indonesia, which includes the government, academia, and the entrepreneurs of the country, all of whom are various components of the ecosystem”.
“We hope that that through the experience of entrepreneurial development of Wadhwani Foundation, Indonesia will create and develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem by supporting the entrepreneurial innovative potential all over the country”, said Sunita Singh.
“For this development of an ecosystem in Indonesia”, said Kris, “BIC and Wadhwani Foundation have worked with at least 15 universities in Indonesia, which have an entrepreneurial program.