SK Innovation E&S links Korean, Indonesian youth entrepreneurs in Busan

SK Innovation E&S said Wednesday it was bringing together young entrepreneurs from Korea and Indonesia in Busan through a six-day program focused on startup development and climate technology.

Climate SOLVE Week, running from Sept. 5 to 10, combines the company’s Korea-based “I am in Busan” initiative with MAJU: ON, its entrepreneurship program for Indonesian youth. The event covers idea development, expert networking and visits to startup facilities.

The program included an Impact Hackathon held Sept. 5, the SOLVE Conference on Sept. 8, and a two-day benchmarking tour of the Busan Centum Tech Startup Town (CENTAP) from Sept. 9 to 10.

AIGRA and Lifeguards, two teams recognized through MAJU: ON in Indonesia in May, joined the CENTAP tour. Participants received briefings on Busan’s startup support policies and international climate-tech cooperation, while CENTAP-based organizations and companies shared their business experiences. The Indonesian teams also held one-on-one meetings with selected firms.

The Solve Conference focused on developing an AI-based climate-tech startup ecosystem and expanding cooperation between Busan and Indonesia.

Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, director of digital ecosystem development at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs, introduced the country’s digital innovation policies and its “6C” framework covering connectivity, capital, capability, commerce, regulation and facilitation. He also presented the Garuda Spark Innovation Hub initiative, which aims to develop 1,000 startups.

Startups from both countries presented business cases, including hackathon winner SAMA, which proposed an AI system to identify and analyze potential Indonesian customers for Fabricduct, a participant in I am in Busan.

A panel discussion on the next decade of Korea-Indonesia climate and energy cooperation followed, with participants calling for stronger ties in entrepreneurship, technology, investment and policy support.

SK Innovation E&S President Lee Jong-soo said the company would continue supporting young entrepreneurs and regional small and medium-sized enterprises to strengthen the climate-tech ecosystem and address local challenges.