Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy/Head of the Tourism and Creative Economy Agency (Menparekraf/Kabaparekraf) Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno has voiced his support for the establishment of a startup ecosystem in the Capital City of Nusantara (IKN), located in Penajam Paser Utara Regency, East Kalimantan. Minister Sandiaga emphasized the close relationship between the development of the startup ecosystem, creative economy (ekraf), and digitalization. He highlighted that Indonesia's creative economy sector has achieved significant added value amounting to IDR 1.414 trillion. "Up to 78% of this digital economy aids MSMEs by boosting their product sales and increasing their income by 76%," stated Sandiaga in an official statement on Sunday (24/3).

Furthermore, Minister Sandiaga revealed that the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy (Kemenparekraf) has prepared various programs aimed at enhancing the potential of startups in Indonesia, particularly in the IKN area, to strengthen digitalization—an integral part of the startup ecosystem. These programs include Bekup (Baparekraf for Startup), Baparekraf Digital Entrepreneurship (BDE), Baparekraf Digital Innovation Lab (Bedil), and Baparekraf Developer Day (BDD). "We are focusing on three skill improvements: upskilling, reskilling, and newskilling, with an approach of innovation, adaptation, and collaboration," he added. In alignment with Minister Sandiaga's stance, Minister of Communication and Informatics Budi Arie Setiadi also expressed their support for establishing a startup ecosystem in the IKN area through the Hub.id program. "This program facilitates meetings between entrepreneurs and strategic partners to enhance their business scale, enabling their growth," concluded Budi.

Source: https://nasional.kontan.co.id/news/menparekraf-dorong-pembentukan-ekosistem-startup-di-kawasan-ikn