Here’s the winner of Tech in Asia’s Bandung pitch battle

Two days ago, it was Bigalia, an online marketplace to buy or rent heavy equipment, who took home the crown at the Jakarta leg of our nine-city Tech in Asia Tour Jakarta 2015.

Tonight, our second stop was Bandung, also called ‘city of flowers’. We picked a bouquet of five colorful early-stage startups to compete for the free trip to Tech in Asia Jakarta 2015.

The three VCs invited to judge the pitches were Dondi Hananto fromi Kinara, Andrias Ekoyuono from Ideosource, and Benny Liputra from East Ventures.

Here are the five startups that participated in the battle. Read on to find out who won and why!

Sasbuzz

Sasbuzz is a location-based marketing solution. Its two main features are social media marketing and monitoring to help marketers understand what their customers want.

Sasbuzz claims to have 6,000 users, 78 percent of which are restaurant owners. Five percent are paying customers. Sasbuzz’s business model is based on subscriptions. The prices start at IDR 49,000 (US$3.40) and go up to IDR 499,000 (US$34.50) per month.

Sasbuzz says its revenue is currently at about IDR 50 million per month (US$3,460). Its tools are being used by big companies like Casio, JNE, and Trans TV.

Growbox

Growbox is a unique startup that sells an edible growing mushroom kit – a simple box that contains mushroom seeds. Anyone can grow mushrooms with this kit, the startup claims – anywhere, anytime! The price depends on which type of mushroom you choose. Wood ear mushrooms, for example, are IDR 75,000 (US$4.80) per box, while the white oyster mushroom is a bargain at IDR 40,000 (US$2.70).

The startup says it has sold some 1,000 boxes to date.

Sociocaster

Sociocaster is a social media management tool made with small business owners in mind. It helps users post, schedule, and run analytics on their posts to find out which has the most viral potential.

The startups claims to have 30,000 registered users, with 1,000 of them active.

Appsterize

Appsterize lets anyone create their own mobile app. At this point, Appsterize focuses on helping musicians create mobile apps to market themselves and their activities. Musicians don’t need any experience in coding, they can simply choose from a variety of modules. And of course, they can monitor how people are using their app.

Appsterize is being used by several bands in Bandung, like Jill, Pasto, Spank, dan Your Raisa, as well as a Raisa fan club.

Octagon

Octagon is a startup that creates Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications and products. Its target markets are corporate clients and the media business. Recently, Octagon released its own VR headset with which users can enjoy VR content.

And the winner is…

Sociocaster. After a five-minute deliberation, the judges decided that Sociocaster showed potential because of its proof of traction and a large potential market.

The Sociocatster team will get the chance to present their product at the upcoming Tech in Asia Jakarta Conference 2015. In addition to the booth, we’ll also cover all travel and accommodation costs.

Thanks to our cool partners

Baidu is the leading Chinese language Internet search provider. As a technology-based media company, Baidu aims to provide the best and most equitable way for people to find what they’re looking for. Baidu established a presence in Indonesia with the opening of its Jakarta office in 2013. Since then, its family of mobile and PC products have gained a significant local following, with millions of people using and enjoying them on a regular basis.

Baidu’s product family in Indonesia includes the Android marketplace MoboMarket, the Android utility apps DU Battery Saver and DU Speed Booster, the mobile browser Baidu Browser and more. Together, Baidu’s products and services in Indonesia have tens of millions of frequent users.