We took a lot of time preparing the startups who are competing at Startup Arena. It was my favorite segment of the Startup Asia conference. While the front stage looks slick and clean, there was a lot of anxiety and hard work behind Arena.
I think some of folks have heard me complaining that running our Startup Arena competition in Indonesia has been a tough process. The size of the country, the roller-coaster internet connection, and the language barrier have made the process tough. But we made it work somehow. Throughout the Arena journey, there were obviously some startups who are better at pitching than others. They are natural speakers with flair and require less practice. Overall, I found that Indonesian startups couldn’t pitch as well in English. It isn’t their native language so that’s very understandable. Nonetheless, all nine Indonesian startups did really well on stage. Preparation time was far longer than expected but it was worth it. NoLimit, in particular, has been a great joy to work with. They won third at Startup Arena.
Co-founders Aqsath Rasyid and Adiska Fardani worked really hard to win third place. They have a great product. It is research-based and has a good growing potential in this very chatty Indonesian market. But the pitch wasn’t clear in their first practice session. It was all over the place. But both co-founders were very open to suggestions and we made it work through several Skype calls. Many times, I also saw Aqsath on Skype at crazy times like 3.00 am. The founders worked really hard — not just for Arena, but also for improving their product and clinching new clients. NoLimit really made Indonesia proud.
There are also many other Indonesian startups who have made this Arena a special experience for our team. Reza Gardino from Pinjambuku took a lot of time to practice, three times a week. Same for Gobann, Harpoen, Onigi, Cabara, Wakuwakuw, Bibbycam, and Promoote. While most are still young companies, I do believe that the future looks bright for Indonesian startups. I wish you guys all the best.