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Coworking spaces pop up in Jakarta, give birth to new startups
Spacious open-plan offices, cheerful interior design and employees in their 20s or early 30s boasting titles of manager or director are a common sight in coworking spaces currently popular among local startup companies
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pacious open-plan offices, cheerful interior design and employees in their 20s or early 30s boasting titles of manager or director are a common sight in coworking spaces currently popular among local startup companies.
As the digital industry strengthens its foothold in Jakarta, many young entrepreneurs who aspire to transform their business ideas into million-dollar companies are eager to join the bandwagon and find a community that shares their interests and supports their goals.
'Being close to other creative minds can be very advantageous. It is also important to work closely with other stakeholders like digital agencies or venture capital firms,' Kelly Oktavian, cofounder of WeYap, told The Jakarta Post at the KejoraHQ coworking space at Wisma Barito Pacific in Slipi, West Jakarta, recently.
WeYap employs five people and has occupied a 20-square meter space at the KejoraHQ since March.
'Young startups like mine can actually work from home. However, we need an office address for the sake of the company's credibility and a coworking space can give us a premium address at an affordable rate,' he said.
To avoid unhealthy competition, startups sharing a coworking space have their own rules. 'Here we have a written agreement not to hire other startups' employees until their contracts are over,' Kelly said.
WeYap is among over 20 startups which started their business ventures at the KejoraHQ coworking space, which was established in 2014. But KejoraHQ is about more than providing a space for the young companies.
'We work closely with the startups from planning and developing their business strategy to launching the products or even expanding to other countries in the Southeast Asian region,' Karen Kamal, manager of the accelerator program at the KejoraHQ, said, adding that it also hosts incubator programs.
Karen said the KejoraHQ set different rates for different startups. 'Startups that joined our Ideabox Accelerator Program were not required to pay rent throughout the program,' she said.
The KejoraHQ also recently launched a new initiative called Fintech Indonesia, fintechindo.com, a community of startups working in the financial sector.
Different coworking spaces offer different features and facilities: affordable rent rates, incubation programs or access to funding for startup companies that fulfill certain requirements.
COMMA (Collaboration Matters) on Jl. Wolter Monginsidi No. 63B, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, has claimed itself to be the first coworking space in the capital. It was initiated in November 2012 by household-name entrepreneurs such as Rene Suhardono, Yoris Sebastian and Dondi Hananto. COMMA's work space has a capacity of up to 40 people, a meeting room and other supporting facilities including private lockers and Wi-Fi connection ' all provided for rent rates ranging from Rp 90,000 (US$7) per three hours to Rp 3.1 million per month.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta Digital Valley, which was launched by state-run telecommunications firm PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia (Telkom), offered free rent for startups that passed a selection process. The 500-square-meter coworking space is located at the Menara Multimedia building on Jl. Kebon Sirih No. 10 in Central Jakarta.
Another coworking space offering free services is Ciputra GEPI Incubator at DBS Tower on Jl. Prof. Dr. Satrio, South Jakarta. The space focuses on event, meetup, networking and training programs. To enjoy the free services, a startup company should register for the GEPI incubation program.
Among the latest coworking spaces is Creative Room at Historia, located in Kota Tua, West Jakarta. The Creative Room at Historia, which has a capacity of around 50 people, and aims to accommodate various creative industry players like architects, performing and visual artists, photographers and designers.
