Innovate for Impact Day Jakarta 2026 brings Asean ecosystem together to catalyse innovation for impact

• Platform brings together startups, policymakers and investors from across Asean
• Founders, investors and ecosystem leaders explore pathways for regional growth and impact

Innovate for Impact Day Jakarta 2026 convened more than 90 startup founders, investors, ecosystem leaders and government representatives from across Asean, with strong participation from Malaysia and Indonesia.

Held under the theme “Catalysing Innovation for Impact in Asean”, the platform featured two core programmes — Creative Exchange Jakarta 2026 and Grill or Chill Jakarta 2026, bringing together dialogue, founder engagement and cross-border collaboration.

Jointly organised by Satu Creative and Garuda Spark Innovation Hub, a programme under Kementerian Komunikasi dan Digital Indonesia (KomDigi), the initiative reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen regional connectivity across Asean’s innovation ecosystem.

The event featured a keynote address by Dr Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, director at the Directorate of Digital Ecosystems Development, KomDigi, who emphasised the importance of stronger regional coordination to help founders scale across markets.

“Moving forward, Asean needs to function more as a connected ecosystem rather than separate markets. This calls for stronger coordination between policy, ecosystem platforms and partners to enable founders to grow across borders with greater clarity and support,” he said.

The event also marked the signing of an agreement between Satu Creative, represented by CEO Ahmad Azuar Zainuddin and the Directorate of Digital Ecosystems Development, represented by Dr Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, reflecting a shared commitment to strengthening collaboration across Asean’s innovation ecosystem and creating more structured pathways for cross-border engagement.

Creative Exchange Jakarta 2026 explored how innovation across Asean is increasingly shaped by access, affordability and adaptability across diverse markets. Discussions also highlighted the need for stronger alignment between programmes, capital and founder support systems to enable more effective regional growth.

The discussions also surfaced a key reality — innovation in Asean is often built within constraint. While support exists, it can be fragmented or misaligned, highlighting the need for stronger ecosystem coordination, clearer cross-border pathways and collaboration anchored in shared outcomes rather than formality.

The session featured Ahmad Azuar, alongside Zahra Damariva, partner and chief operating officer of Impactto, and Jessy Abdurrahman, CEO and founder of Zi.care. The discussion was moderated by Mizan Lazuardi, AI Connect programme lead at Telkom Indonesia.

“At Satu Creative, we believe innovation should ultimately improve lives. When we support purpose-driven startups and innovators, we are not only creating businesses, but also jobs, stronger supply chains and new economic opportunities, while helping address the region’s social and environmental challenges,” said Ahmad Azuar.

The afternoon session, Grill or Chill Jakarta 2026, featured selected entrepreneurs pitching their ventures to a panel comprising representatives from Satu Creative, KomDigi, Gobi Partners Indonesia, Instellar and Pijar Foundation.

Participating startups included three companies from Malaysia — Beebag Sdn Bhd, Materials In Works (M) Sdn Bhd and Moms Village Asia Sdn Bhd — alongside five Jakarta-based startups. The session enabled founders to receive market-informed feedback and engage directly with investors and ecosystem enablers.

Ahmad Azuar added that collaboration across ecosystems will be critical as Asean navigates increasingly complex challenges.

“Asean stands at a moment of real possibility, but the way forward will depend on how well founders, investors, governments and ecosystem partners work together to turn ideas into meaningful and sustainable outcomes,” he said.

Across both sessions, a common theme emerged — innovation in Asean continues to be shaped by relevance, adaptability and the ability to respond to real-world needs across diverse markets.

The platform builds on ongoing regional conversations and aims to strengthen relationships across Asean by creating space for ideas, capital and partnerships to connect more intentionally.