A Glimpse of Jakarta Future City Hub
Good news from Jakarta! The Jakarta Provincial Government, together with the State of Berlin, has launched the Jakarta Future City Hub, a collaboration space in the city of Jakarta. The so-called ‘hub’ is one of the milestones in the European Union-funded Smart Change program designed to address sustainability challenges and solutions as well as empower the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Curious about the hub’s developments and its facilities? Read this article for more information.
The Beginning of Jakarta Future City Hub Development
It all started with the potential of Jakarta as the startup capital of Southeast Asia. In 2020 alone, Jakarta was named the second best global startup ecosystem in the Top 100 Emerging Ecosystems in The Global Startup Ecosystem 2020 report, only below Mumbai, India. Various unicorn startup companies, even decacorns were born from this city. If you pay attention, the rapid development of startups in Jakarta is caused by various factors, such as adequate infrastructure, citizens who are technology literate and have purchasing power, and so on.
To develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem and strengthen Jakarta's economy, in 2019, the Jakarta’s government took advantage of the joint collaboration that had been established with sister city Berlin through the Smart Change program which was funded by the European Union. At that time, there were several initiatives that could be executed, but there was no forum to collect these initiatives. Moving on from this, Jakarta and Berlin developed the Jakarta Future City Hub as a center for innovation and solutions to urban problems.
How Does the Jakarta Future City Hub Work?
Through the government’s Jakarta Smart City, this hub acts as a place for collaborating with creative activists, entrepreneurs, and communities to create sustainable innovation through entrepreneur empowerment and cross-sectoral collaboration. For example, certain things that were done with the Jakarta Future City Hub had problems and related aspirations conveyed through the Hub. Together with students/lecturers/founders/investors who are interested in the same issue and expert directions from the government, the community can create effective and targeted innovations.
More Than Just A Coworking Space
Given that the Jakarta Future City Hub is under the auspices of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government, of course this Hub is not the same as other coworking spaces. With the involvement of experts from the government related to urban planning, development and so on, innovations are designed not only based on perceptions, but also solid data. In addition, the navigation of laws and regulations will also be shorter and clearer, because the initiator can access the necessary text material on what is allowed or not to be done.
Another thing that sets Jakarta Future City Hub apart from other coworking spaces is the Jakarta-Berlin collaboration. Jakarta Future City Hub opens opportunities for experts from Germany to visit Indonesia and share knowledge about the innovations being built, and vice versa. Being in the same network, Jakarta Future City Hub members can also more easily establish connections with these international experts.
Next, regarding economic exchange. Anyone from Jakarta with innovative ideas and are selected can share their experience in Berlin. This year for example, selected programs in the Accelerator Program that in collaboration with MRT Jakarta will be sent to Berlin. There, various opportunities will open that allow for more collaboration and access to the needed networks, whether related to talent, funding, or otherwise with policy makers, investors, and others.
What Can Be Found in Jakarta Future City Hub?
Not only related to work programs and systems, Jakarta Future City Hub also has various facilities that distinguish it from ordinary co-working spaces. With semi-industrial design, here are the spaces and facilities at the Hub that can be used for various activities.
Here, talent can conduct sharing sessions, peer-to-peer learning, and can be used for entertainment activities. This space provides maximum movement space with a bean bag that supports convenience when gathering;
The Main Event Area will be a top priority place for organizing events such as workshops, meetings, seminars, talk shows, Focus Group Discussions (FGD), and accelerator programs. This space also provides a projector screen that can be used for event purposes;
As the name suggests, the working space is a place where startups work to develop their digital innovations. This space can also be used as an additional space for holding events. Therefore, the furniture inside is designed to be moveable;
This area functions as a prototype room, product and idea consultation, and product workshop. In order to support these functions, the prototyping corner is accompanied by a pegboard, computers separated from each other by partitions, work desks, and photocopiers;
This studio is a place for production and consulting related to digital content.
This corner is where products and services of the Jakarta Future City Hub are displayed. Students, lecturers, startups, or other talents whose innovations are selected can display their work in this corner.
In addition to the above, there are other spaces available in this Hub. Jakarta Future City Hub is also equipped with supporting facilities such as prayer/meditation/individual rooms, open kitchens, private pantry, call booths, lockers, and so on. Supporting inclusiveness, Jakarta Future City Hub also provides sign interpreters and whisperers, for the hearing and visually impaired respectively.
Why Do We Need the Jakarta Future City Hub?
Jakarta Future City Hub is aligned with the sustainable development of the city of Jakarta and has a positive impact in various aspects, namely:
- Contribute to the city transformation 4.0 program;
- Help accelerate smart cities and urban innovation;
- Maximize the startup ecosystem and contribute to ranking improvements in global reports;
- Unlocking the potential for cross-sectoral collaboration;
- Strengthening Jakarta's position as the startup capital of Southeast Asia;
- Open access to the international startup scene.
Projection of Jakarta Future City Hub
Jakarta Future City Hub is located on the 23rd floor of the Jakarta Box (JB) Tower, Kebon Sirih Street, Number 48-50, Gambir, Central Jakarta. The Hub is going to be soft-launched in October 2022. During its first year, the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government and the State of Berlin are targeting 32 innovator startups to be involved and accommodate their ideas related to the development of sustainable innovation. However, startups will not work alone, with at least 20 startup support organizations will contribute as well, such as NGOs, universities, venture capital, and so on. This support organization will help startups to be more focused in developing their companies with the Jakarta Future City Hub as a meeting point for each of them.
Are you excited to see the results of the construction? Let’s continue to support the development of Jakarta Future City Hub and keep following all the updates!
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