From inception to impact: celebrating the closing of I-SEA's second cohort in Indonesia

The second cohort of the I-SEA programme in Indonesia comes to an end after a year of supporting impactful social enterprises to create a better everyday life for people from vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Nurturing sustainability and social impact in Indonesia

Last year, we welcomed a second cohort of the Instellar-IKEA Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator (I-SEA) programme in Indonesia. As we come to the successful completion of this cohort, we celebrated with I-SEA Impact Business Days.

The event brought together entrepreneurs from the 10 participating I-SEA social enterprises, alongside with strategic partners, such as corporations, investors, government representatives, and other stakeholders. Attendees engaged in various activities, including panel discussions, networking sessions, and business matchmaking to explore meaningful collaboration possibilities.

A commitment towards an inclusive, fair, and equal society

The I-SEA programme is a co-created accelerator programme by Instellar and IKEA Social Entrepreneurship, with the support of IKEA Indonesia. It’s dedicated to supporting local social enterprises in expanding their social impact and further developing their sustainability-driven approaches in the agriculture and circular economy sectors in Indonesia.

Participants of the I-SEA programme received personalised support through guidance from 23 IKEA co-workers, business development workshops, access to strategic networks, and financing to prepare them to scale their businesses while driving impactful change. IKEA co-workers' engagement played an important role in guiding the social enterprises through the different phases of the programme and their mentorship support is tailored to the entrepreneur’s specific needs.

So far, the I-SEA programme has empowered 20 social enterprises that are tackling some of Indonesia’s major challenges and converting them into inclusive opportunities for people from vulnerable and marginalised groups.

Local social entrepreneurs joining a positive, change movement

Although every social enterprise pursues its own distinct objectives and ambitions, they all aim to create positive socio-economic and environmental impact. The I-SEA II grande finale served as a reflection moment for entrepreneurs, who exchanged valuable learnings and inspiring stories of how the programme has enriched their leadership skills and supported their businesses.

“Through this programme, we are thrilled to be connected with mentors and like-minded social enterprises. The programme is comprehensive and provides support across many areas. The impact on our enterprise has been exceptionally positive!” said Dien Wong, Co-founder & CTO at PasarMIKRO.

“We greatly value the I-SEA programme, particularly in how it supports our innovative research. The relationships and coaching from mentors have been crucial in advancing Java Fresh's business. I-SEA offers relevant and useful activities. The programme is very structured and tailored like no other, providing invaluable support in every aspect of our business.” says Swasti Karim, Co-Founder & CMO of Java Fresh.

Celebrating one programme cohort and embarking on another

Over the past two years, the I-SEA programme has been an active platform for accelerating the impact of social enterprises and creating a better everyday life for the many people in Indonesia. By concluding the I-SEA second cohort, it’s a pleasure to witness the achievements and ongoing changemaking led by the entrepreneurs.

“Through programs like I-SEA, we’re committed to supporting local social enterprises across the world to scale their business in a sustainable and impactful way. This aligns with IKEA’s global vision of creating better opportunities for people from vulnerable communities while promoting inclusive local economic growth. We’re excited to celebrate the close of the cohort and look forward to following their ongoing journeys,” said Åsa Skogström Feldt, Managing Director of IKEA Social Entrepreneurship.

Our journey with Instellar continues to evolve and we’re thrilled to share that we’ll be launching a third cohort later this year to support a further 10 Indonesian social enterprises. Stay tuned!

Learn more about the I-SEA II programme here.