Malang startup wins ticket to upcoming Tech in Asia Jakarta Conference 2015

After rolling through Jakarta, Bandung, and Ho Chi Minh City, our Tech in Asia Jakarta Tour 2015 has just visited Surabaya, Indonesia’s second largest city.

We picked four Surabaya-based early stage startups to compete for the chance to get a free booth at the upcoming Tech in Asia Jakarta Conference 2015, which will take place on November 11 and 12 . On top of the free booth, the startup team’s travel expenses and accommodation will be covered.

Two VCs were judging tonight’s pitch battle: Gary Khoeng from Convergence Ventures and Raditya Pramana from IMJ Investment Partners.

Read on to find out which of the four startups took home the crown.

Ikhram

Established at the end of 2014, Ikhram is a marketplace for umrah travel packages. Umrah, also known as the little hadj is a pilgrimage to Mecca, which is voluntary for Muslims and, unlike the real hadj, can be undertaken at any time of the year. The startup says it is working together with 161 travel agents all over Indonesia who offer some 1,500 different umrah packages. Ikhram makes two to five percent commission for each transaction on its site.

Meeber

In order to make it simple for people in the food and beverages (F&B) industry to manage their businesses, Meeber offers a mobile point-of-sale service. This app has cashier, kitchen monitoring, and financial reporting features, to mention a few. Meeber is still in beta and will publicly launch in the near future. It will require its users to pay a monthly fee of IDR 199,000 (US$13.53)

Rooang

Rooang is a media portal that focuses on trends and news from the world of architecture, interior, and exterior design in Indonesia. Its goal is to serve as a resource for people who are planning to build a home. The site also connects readers with professionals in this sector. It was launched in August 2015.

KebunBibit

Hailing from the city of Malang, located about 80km outside of Surabaya, is KebunBibit. It’s an ecommerce site that specializes in selling plant seeds. Since it was established in 2012, KebunBibit claims to have reached a yearly revenue of IDR 5.4 billion (US$367,142). The site also offers dried herbs, gardening supplies, and live plants.

TIA blooms

In the end, the judges crowned KebunBibit – which literally means “garden of seeds” – the night’s winner. The judges were impressed by the CEO’s tight presentation. They also praised the startup’s solid team, and choice of markets, which they deemed interesting and large enough for a business to thrive.

The team will present their product in Bootsrap Alley at the Tech in Asia Jakarta Conference 2015, so keep an eye out for them. We’re sure their booth will be worth a visit.

Haven’t registered? You can sign up now and get still get a 20 percent discount for the conference using the promo code tiajkt20, valid until October 4.

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