The Tech in Asia Tour rolled through Jakarta. Here’s who we’re bringing to Japan

Founders, VCs and aspiring entrepreneurs crowded the Conclave co-working space in Jakarta tonight to watch five hand-picked startups pitch for the chance to win an all-expenses paid trip and a free booth at the upcoming Tech in Asia Conference 2015 in Tokyo.

Pitches were judged by a panel of four expert VCs: Michael Lints, venture partner at Golden Gate Ventures; Benny Liputra, associate at East Ventures; Takeshi Ebihara, founding general partner of Rebright Partners; and Koichi Saito, founder and general partner of KK Fund.

Before the pitching rounds began, the judges shared some of their experience as VCs in Indonesia, and what traits they are interested in when meeting entrepreneurs.

All judges agreed that Indonesia is a unique market which requires a high degree of localization, and that the founders they liked need to be really familiar with the environment for their particular business in Indonesia.

“American tech companies have difficulties localizing their products,” Michael Lints said. “Local entrepreneurs nail that local content. That’s what we look for. Each country needs to find its own secret sauce, not copy what’s worked somewhere else.”

Here are the five startups, in the order that they pitched tonight. How do they measure up to the judges’ ideal of a driven local entrepreneur solving a real local problem?

Make sure to read on to find out who made the cut and will be flying to Tokyo in September.

Kakatu

Kakatu is a child protection app that lets parents control which apps their children can access on a gadget. They can also set a timer after which the phone or tablet locks itself. In parent-mode, all apps become accessible again, and parents can monitor their kids’ activity on that device.
What sets Kakatu apart from other apps in this category is its educational approach. Instead of just the tools, they also offer parents content with advice on how to build healthy relationships with their children, and how to educate them about media use.

Apps Authority

Apps Authority from Singapore is software that allows ecommerce practitioners to generate a web-based platform as well as personalized apps for iOS and Android with one click. They can also use the interface to post products to social media channels. The idea is to make it super simple for ecommerce practitioners to get started, while being able to address their clients on all channels, wherever they are.

YesBoss

YesBoss is Magic for Indonesia. Any service, any time of day, can be ordered via the YesBoss app by sending an SMS. The YesBoss team will find the best offer to solve your problem, and make sure that the demand is met as fast as possible.

 Persona

Persona is an app that offers access to counselors that can give medical, psychological and relationship advice. It also offers peer-moderated channels on all kinds of topics like hobbies and romance. By being active in these communities, members can collect points which they can redeem in the form of counselling sessions. Points for counselling sessions with professionals can also be bought.

Talenta

Talenta is a SaaS-solution for small-and-medium sized enterprises that helps them with HR management, but plans to expand into other areas, like employee insurance plans, or even allowing employees to order food through the platform from partner services.

The business is based on a subscription model. Talenta has already been able to convince large startup companies like Go-Jek to use its software.

And the winner is…

In the end, the judges unanimously selected Talenta as the grand prize winner.
“We chose Talenta because it has a very clear business model, and addressess a B2C market, which other entrepreneurs often struggle with. We believe this company has the potential to grow big,” Lints said, summarizing the judges’ decision-making process.

Talenta will receive round-trip transportation, accommodation, event passes, and a startup booth at Tech in Asia Tokyo 2015, which will be held on September 8 and 9. Tickets are still available for purchase here.