“Regions closer to natural resources should have more advantages in managing what they have and benefiting from the results.”
However, reality states otherwise. Regions around natural resources often fail to fully utilize the abundant natural potential as they should. The lack of capability in natural resource management and insufficient business experience has resulted in them generating only minimal output. Consequently, they are unable to add value to the products they produce.
Why does this happen?
Businesses tend to be centralized in major cities, while regions outside these urban centers are often overlooked. This could be due to various factors, including limited infrastructure, lack of access to broader markets, and a shortage of trained human resources in rural areas. As a result, the economic potential inherent in natural resources is sometimes wasted.
To address this issue, efforts need to be made to develop skills and business opportunities in regions outside major cities. This way, communities can be more effective in managing existing natural resources, adding value to products, and overall supporting sustainable economic growth beyond major cities.
Demo Day Konstelasi Accelerator
Building a sustainable business foundation: Value Chain Collaboration
With the spirit of decentralizing businesses from major cities, Konstelasi Accelerator embarked on its journey in 2020. In the past two years, Konstelasi Accelerator has conducted three batches, consisting of 13 sustainable businesses from various regions in Indonesia. These sustainable businesses have their respective focuses. In Batch 1, there are Sinergi Natural, YAGI Forest, Sintang Freshwater Care (SFC), MP Natural, and Agrapanabio.
Batch 3 introduces five new sustainable businesses: Pesona Kalbar Hijau (PKH), Goodvibes, Peek.Me, Conservana Spices, and Kulaku. PKH holds a middle-downstream position in the value chain collaboration map. Meanwhile, Goodvibes and Peek.Me are positioned downstream with a focus on natural health products. Conservana Spices, positioned in the middle-downstream, focuses on non-timber forest products processed into essential oils. Lastly, Kulaku, located in the middle-downstream, processes various derivative products from coconuts.
The journey of Konstelasi Accelerator with Batch 1 cohorts.
Through the combination of classes and these activities, Konstelasi Accelerator aims to provide opportunities for cohorts to build more connections and gain the exposure necessary in the world of sustainable business.
Graduation of YAGI and Sinergi Natural
The end of our journey’s beginning
As October 2023 comes to a close, marking the completion of Batch 1 of Konstelasi Accelerator, Konstelasi Accelerator and cohorts have experienced numerous moments together. Various mentors with diverse backgrounds and focuses have been companions on the cohorts’ journey.
However, out of the five cohorts from Batch 1, only YAGI Forest and Sinergi Natural have completed the entire program. Agrapanabio did not finish the program but has transitioned to become a partner with Supernova to incubate businesses in the Sintang and Siak regions. Meanwhile, MP Natural pivoted from its previous business to focus on providing support to farmers in the region. SFC, on the other hand, redirected its focus to advocate for lake conservation and the preservation of the surrounding lake areas with the local community in Sintang, forming a foundation. Though they are no longer cohorts, the three of them still maintain a close relationship with Supernova, sharing the same dream: supporting the conservation of forests and peatlands and promoting the creation of a more sustainable business ecosystem, each in their own way.
Graduating from the Konstelasi Accelerator program marks the end and the beginning of a story. The story of how to commercialize sustainable businesses is a joint commitment towards sustainability. From the end of this journey, we learn that sustainability is not instant and truly involves determination and relentless hard work.
