Exploring the Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: ESME MB ITS Visits Startups and Impact Enterprises in Jakarta

ESME MB ITS Visits Startups and Impact Enterprises in Jakarta

Exploring the Social Entrepreneurship Ecosystem: ESME MB ITS Visits Startups and Impact Enterprises in Jakarta

JAKARTA, MB ITS – The Entrepreneurship and Small Medium Enterprises (ESME) Laboratory, Department of Business Management ITS, held a study excursion to Jakarta on July 24–26, 2025. This excursion aimed to enhance students’ insight and experience in the social entrepreneurship ecosystem through direct visits to various companies, startups, and business development institutions.
The excursion was attended by lecturers and seven ESME laboratory assistant students. Over the three days, the group visited various strategic institutions such as Impact Hub Jakarta, Instellar, PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM), ZOHO Indonesia, and PT Aero Globe Indonesia (part of the Garuda Indonesia Group).

————–“At every step of the excursion, we not only absorbed knowledge, but also ignited a new passion to create social change and build impactful value chains; a manifestation of ITS Business Management’s commitment to adapting to industry dynamics through close collaboration between lecturers, students, and strategic business partners,” said Mr. Berto Mulia Wibawa, Head of the ITS Business Management Department.

visit to Impact Hub Jakarta

The first day began with a visit to Impact Hub Jakarta, a global ecosystem for social entrepreneurs and innovators. During this visit, participants had the opportunity to tour the site and discuss Impact Hub’s business model, organizational values, collaboration between startups, and sustainability approaches in business with Mr. Sean Bunjamin and Ms. Fariza Puteri. The insights shared illustrated how Impact Hub has become one of the leading startup facilitators and social entrepreneurship ecosystems in Indonesia. At the same opportunity, participants also participated in a discussion session with Instellar, a social business consultant and incubator certified as a B Corp, known for actively promoting impactful social innovation in Indonesia. In the session with Mr. Andra Alfarisz, Strategic Communications Officer of PT Instellar, Participants learned Instellar’s core values and how social enterprises can create a strong social impact while maintaining sustainable business profitability. Furthermore, participants had the opportunity to learn about one of the Impact Hub’s social enterprises, Sampangan, which processes waste into value-added products in the food supply chain. Sampangan’s business processes serve as a concrete example of how innovation can solve environmental problems while creating economic value.

visit to PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM)

That same day, ESME MB ITS continued their visit to PT Permodalan Nasional Madani (PNM), located in the Kuningan area. There, participants learned in-depth about the microfinance model and business mentoring schemes provided to MSMEs, the majority of whose founders are women entrepreneurs. During this visit, the Study Excursion team also had the opportunity to view and analyze a real-time dashboard of ultra-micro transaction data across Indonesia. Furthermore, participants engaged in a discussion with PT PNM’s Executive Vice President, Mr. Razaq Manan Ahmad, and PT PNM’s Corporate Secretary, Mr. Lalu Dodot Patria Ary, regarding PNM’s business processes and operations. Through this discussion, participants gained insight into The study focused on the application of Know Your Customer (KYC) principles and microfinance practices in the field, particularly in the context of empowering traditional communities in various regions of Indonesia.

visit to ZOHO Indonesia

On the second day, the Study Excursion continued with a visit to the offices of ZOHO Indonesia, a global provider of cloud-based software solutions that support operational efficiency for businesses across sectors. During the visit, participants were welcomed by Mr. Handito Aji Saroso, Country Lead of ZOHO Indonesia. Participants were introduced to the various digital products and services offered by ZOHO, ranging from customer management systems (CRM) and marketing automation to the use of AI in business. Through interactive discussions with the ZOHO Indonesia team, participants gained an understanding of the importance of digital transformation in driving productivity, efficiency, and business scalability, particularly for MSMEs and startups growing in the digital economy era.

visit to PT Aero Globe Indonesia

In the afternoon, the group continued their visit to PT Aero Globe Indonesia, a subsidiary of the Garuda Indonesia Group that focuses on tour, logistics, and general sales agent (GSA) services for international and domestic flights. During this visit, participants gained in-depth insight into aviation and logistics business governance from a national corporate perspective. Through dialogues with PT Aero Globe management, participants learned how the company manages its air distribution network, forges global partnerships, and addresses the challenges of a competitive and dynamic logistics market. Furthermore, participants also had the opportunity to visit the Garuda Indonesia Sales and Services Office and witness real-time demonstrations of Garuda Indonesia’s ticketing and premium selling ticket handling. This visit broadened participants’ horizons on how technology and corporate strategy are used to create efficiency and competitive advantage, both in the digital context and in the air transportation sector. In addition to the industry visit, participants also participated in alumni discussions and informal networking activities that fostered collaboration between generations of ITS MB students.

“Thank you so much to the lecturers and management of ITS for the super-duper useful and fun study excursions. 🤩🤩. This trip provided us with a deeper understanding of companies like Impact Hub, Instellar, PNM, Aero, and Zoho. This trip provided new insights and helped us assistants provide examples for case studies to students. Hopefully, there will be another SE next time, and we can invite all ESME assistants,” said one of the student participants in the Study Excursion.

This Study Excursion is part of the ESME Laboratory’s strategy to strengthen student engagement in applied research, entrepreneurial collaboration, and the development of business ideas and solutions oriented towards social impact. Through direct interaction with industry players and the social entrepreneurship ecosystem, students are expected to develop critical, innovative, and empathy-based thinking. More than just a field trip, this activity also aims to be a relevant and contextual learning resource for developing teaching materials at MB ITS. It is hoped that the insights gained during the Study Excursion can be used to improve the quality of teaching, so that students not only understand the concepts from textbooks but also relate them to real-world practices within the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in Indonesia.

In this Study Excursion activity, the ESME Laboratory has also made efforts to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 4 (Quality Education); SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth); SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure); and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Author:
Harisatul Agustin, S.AB., M.AB., MBA.
Head of the Entrepreneurship and Small Medium Enterprises Laboratory, MB-ITS