Young entrepreneurs are creating companies to solve the nation’s problems, and a small organization called GEPI is there to help them do it.

On the ninth floor of the luxurious Ciputra World complex is a cramped office with duct tape patching together the floor and exposed ventilation ducts crisscrossing the ceiling. Dozens of tables and chairs are scattered throughout the office and every inch of desk space is occupied by somebody’s laptop. It may sound far fetched, but each and every person that works here is getting ready to transform Indonesia, if not the world.

The Global Entrepreneurship Program Indonesia (GEPI) provides training and co-working space for more than 40 small startups that are trying to become reputable companies. And some of these startups are kicking some serious butt.

In January, a startup called GiftCard Indonesia, nailed a US$2 million investment deal. In July, another startup, Berry Kitchen, fundraised $1.25 million. While personal wealth may be important to some of these entrepreneurs, most of them seem to be hell-bent on solving the problems that are holding Indonesia back.

Take Abraham Viktor, for instance, who is trying to fix Indonesia’s financial sector. This recent University of Indonesia graduate was working at one of Jakarta’s biggest investment banks before he quit and started his own company at GEPI.

“After working at an investment bank for around three or four months, I found myself being passionless about the work. I wasn’t happy at all,” says Abraham.

“Because of that whole experience I became spiritual. I didn’t know where else to go. So, I started going to church a lot.”

Around the same time that he was facing this career dilemma, he was thinking more seriously about his girlfriend.

“I was in the office alone and I was thinking about the future — if I were to marry this girl, how the hell would I be able to pay for the wedding?”

This was Abraham’s lightbulb moment. He realized that there must be more than a few Indonesians who lose sleep over this question.

With a bit of research, he found out that there were only a handful of ways to pay for your wedding: either you blow your lifetime savings, you blow mom and dad’s lifetime savings or by some miracle you get a bank loan with a monthly interest rate of 3 percent.

In other words, there was no good solution; until, that is, Abraham quit his job, moved into GEPI and founded his company. He named it Wedlite, and he says “it’s my God-given calling”.

Electric women: Intan Wierma Putri (right), a member of Nusantara Development Initiative (NDI)’s team, teaches women in rural Indonesia to become solar lamp entrepreneurs.(Courtesy of NDI)

It has been less than a year since Abraham founded his company, but he is already helping young couples pay for their weddings. Anyone willing to put up their motorbike as collateral can go to Wedlite’s website and apply for a loan. Within 24 hours, they will get a response and can make an appointment with one of Wedlite’s partners. If everything goes according to plan, the applicant could have a wedding loan dispersed in less than three days with a monthly interest rate as low as 0.9 percent.

While the Wedlite team is busy solving Indonesians’ financial problems, another team of young people at GEPI is working on empowering women and bringing electricity to rural Indonesia.

Nusantara Development Initiatives (NDI) — founded in 2011 by Singaporean Fairoz Ahmad and two college buddies from Bali — “ventures out into the remote areas of Indonesia where [state-owned electricity company] PLN hasn’t reached yet,” says Fairoz.

Once there, NDI representatives teach local women how to become solar lamp entrepreneurs.

“The first thing we talk about is their dreams,” says senior executive Ayu Kusumastuti, who runs NDI’s educational programs in rural Indonesia.

“Many of the women we work with don’t even know what their dreams are. So, we try to help them realize that they have the right to dream. Through intrinsic motivation we try to build the confidence of our partners and help them see beyond their traditional roles as women in the house,” says Ayu.

In tandem with intrinsic motivation, the NDI team teaches these women the basic sales skills that they will need in order to sell solar lamps in nearby villages.

“After that we try to help them see how the money they get from selling solar lamps can help them begin to work toward those dreams,” says Ayu.

NDI has a unique approach to solving two seemingly unrelated problems — women’s rights and a lack of electricity — and it also has a unique approach to business. NDI is the only social enterprise at GEPI, meaning that it gets charity-type funding from institutional grants while at the same time recouping some revenue through the sale of solar lamps.

“Women and empowerment are at the center of what we do — not profit. Though we do get some revenue from selling solar lamps, at this stage we are not profitable. But there is a possibility that we will be in the future. It’s something we’re working on,” says Fairoz.

Young entrepreneurs are creating companies to solve the nation'€™s problems, and a small organization called GEPI is there to help them do it.

On the ninth floor of the luxurious Ciputra World complex is a cramped office with duct tape patching together the floor and exposed ventilation ducts crisscrossing the ceiling. Dozens of tables and chairs are scattered throughout the office and every inch of desk space is occupied by somebody'€™s laptop. It may sound far fetched, but each and every person that works here is getting ready to transform Indonesia, if not the world.

The Global Entrepreneurship Program Indonesia (GEPI) provides training and co-working space for more than 40 small startups that are trying to become reputable companies. And some of these startups are kicking some serious butt.

In January, a startup called GiftCard Indonesia, nailed a US$2 million investment deal. In July, another startup, Berry Kitchen, fundraised $1.25 million. While personal wealth may be important to some of these entrepreneurs, most of them seem to be hell-bent on solving the problems that are holding Indonesia back.

Take Abraham Viktor, for instance, who is trying to fix Indonesia'€™s financial sector. This recent University of Indonesia graduate was working at one of Jakarta'€™s biggest investment banks before he quit and started his own company at GEPI.

'€œAfter working at an investment bank for around three or four months, I found myself being passionless about the work. I wasn'€™t happy at all,'€ says Abraham.

'€œBecause of that whole experience I became spiritual. I didn'€™t know where else to go. So, I started going to church a lot.'€

Around the same time that he was facing this career dilemma, he was thinking more seriously about his girlfriend.

'€œI was in the office alone and I was thinking about the future '€” if I were to marry this girl, how the hell would I be able to pay for the wedding?'€

This was Abraham'€™s lightbulb moment. He realized that there must be more than a few Indonesians who lose sleep over this question.

With a bit of research, he found out that there were only a handful of ways to pay for your wedding: either you blow your lifetime savings, you blow mom and dad'€™s lifetime savings or by some miracle you get a bank loan with a monthly interest rate of 3 percent.

In other words, there was no good solution; until, that is, Abraham quit his job, moved into GEPI and founded his company. He named it Wedlite, and he says '€œit'€™s my God-given calling'€.

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It has been less than a year since Abraham founded his company, but he is already helping young couples pay for their weddings. Anyone willing to put up their motorbike as collateral can go to Wedlite'€™s website and apply for a loan. Within 24 hours, they will get a response and can make an appointment with one of Wedlite'€™s partners. If everything goes according to plan, the applicant could have a wedding loan dispersed in less than three days with a monthly interest rate as low as 0.9 percent.

While the Wedlite team is busy solving Indonesians'€™ financial problems, another team of young people at GEPI is working on empowering women and bringing electricity to rural Indonesia.

Nusantara Development Initiatives (NDI) '€” founded in 2011 by Singaporean Fairoz Ahmad and two college buddies from Bali '€” '€œventures out into the remote areas of Indonesia where [state-owned electricity company] PLN hasn'€™t reached yet,'€ says Fairoz.

Once there, NDI representatives teach local women how to become solar lamp entrepreneurs.

'€œThe first thing we talk about is their dreams,'€ says senior executive Ayu Kusumastuti, who runs NDI'€™s educational programs in rural Indonesia.

'€œMany of the women we work with don'€™t even know what their dreams are. So, we try to help them realize that they have the right to dream. Through intrinsic motivation we try to build the confidence of our partners and help them see beyond their traditional roles as women in the house,'€ says Ayu.

In tandem with intrinsic motivation, the NDI team teaches these women the basic sales skills that they will need in order to sell solar lamps in nearby villages.

'€œAfter that we try to help them see how the money they get from selling solar lamps can help them begin to work toward those dreams,'€ says Ayu.

NDI has a unique approach to solving two seemingly unrelated problems '€” women'€™s rights and a lack of electricity '€” and it also has a unique approach to business. NDI is the only social enterprise at GEPI, meaning that it gets charity-type funding from institutional grants while at the same time recouping some revenue through the sale of solar lamps.

'€œWomen and empowerment are at the center of what we do '€” not profit. Though we do get some revenue from selling solar lamps, at this stage we are not profitable. But there is a possibility that we will be in the future. It'€™s something we'€™re working on,'€ says Fairoz.

About six months ago both NDI and Wedlite were accepted into GEPI'€™s incubation program, which offers additional training and mentorship at no extra cost.

'€œThe mentors are amazing,'€ says Abraham. '€œEspecially my mentor, William Tanuwijaya, the owner of Tokopedia.'€

'€œThe most amazing thing is how he'€™s willing to spend time to help me figure out solutions to Wedlite'€™s problems. And all for absolutely no commercial benefit. He'€™s doing it as a favor.'€

Not only does GEPI'€™s incubation program connect newbies like Abraham with startup demigods like William, but it also offers top-notch training.

'€œThey do a lot of clinics to empower the startups. They'€™ve run really useful human resources clinics and they invite a lot of speakers for seminars,'€ says Abraham.

Although the educational and mentorship opportunities are critical components of what GEPI does, it seems the best part about this endearing organization hits a little closer to the heart.

'€œDoing a startup is really tough. And a lot of times you feel like, dang, that'€™s it. This is gonna end. There'€™s no hope. But being part of a community where people share their struggles really motivates us. You can reach out to anyone at GEPI and ask for their help,'€ says Abraham.

Most people affiliated with GEPI agree that the reason this organization can foster such a supportive culture is because it does not take equity from any of its companies. Almost every other platform in Indonesia that supports entrepreneurs asks for at least a little share of ownership. The fact that GEPI does not take a single percentage of anyone'€™s company pleases entrepreneurs like Abraham '€” who are happy to have a non-competitive work space '€” but it also pleases investors.

'€œMost of the other startup platforms that I'€™ve worked with focus on getting lots of profit by taking equity. So, it'€™s not genuine. It'€™s just a commercial institution,'€ says Mariko Asmara, an investor who recently started working with GEPI.

'€œSo, because they have these financial incentives, the independent investor can'€™t really tell if those kinds of organizations are recommending the startup to us because it'€™s really going to be successful, or just because they want to increase the value of their equity.'€

'€œBut GEPI is different. GEPI is actually totally neutral. The purpose is helping the ecosystem of young entrepreneurs. No equity is taken and they don'€™t take brokerage fees for connecting startups with investors.'€

Mariko is not the only investor supporting GEPI'€™s startups. In fact, there is a whole network of investors helping these early-stage companies. In startup lingo, these people are called '€œangel investors'€. They are the ones that make an entrepreneur'€™s dreams come true by writing a big fat check. If the startup they invest in is extremely successful, the angel could see a return of well over 1,000 percent.

Although Mariko and her fellow angels stand to make a pretty penny if they choose their investments well, they have more than just cold hard cash invested in GEPI.

Mariko, an entrepreneur herself, who spent much of her career in Japan, has big dreams for GEPI'€™s future.

'€œMy plan is to figure out how to connect these Indonesian startups with big companies in Japan. Because now Japanese companies and the Japanese government are putting a lot of effort into getting foreign startups listed in Japan. This is my calling in a way '€” connecting GEPI with the Japanese government,'€ says Mariko.

It has been a few decades now since she started her company as a 20-year-old, but Mariko'€™s enthusiasm makes her sound like an entrepreneur in the first year of founding a startup.

'€œI'€™ve only been with GEPI for a few months now,'€ she says dreamily, '€œbut I'€™m already falling in love.'€

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