One hundred twenty micro-enterprises supported by the Mikromandiri.id initiative have successfully passed the curation stage after undergoing a series of training sessions and a rigorous selection process. This program is a collaboration between the Deputy for Micro Enterprises of the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, led by Dr. Yulius MA, and The Greater Hub at SBM ITB.
The program’s highlight is the Temu Mitra event series, held across four cities: Yogyakarta, Semarang, Makassar, Bandung, and Bandung Regency, in October 2024. These events aim to connect 10-15 selected SMEs who have demonstrated market readiness and financing potential with relevant business partners. Each event includes five financing and marketing partners, providing valuable opportunities for SMEs to expand their networks and business prospects.
The final event of Mikromandiri.id was held in Bandung from October 25-26, 2024, at the Freeport Auditorium, SBM ITB. Temu Mitra successfully engaged 52 financial and marketing partners across four cities, with an average of 82% of partnerships established between selected micro-enterprises and participating partners. Throughout the program, participants achieved a significant 29% increase in monthly revenue, with total revenue growing from IDR 2,111,140,476 in June to IDR 3,331,572,220 by October 2024—an overall increase of IDR 1,220,431,744.
Financing partners included Bank Mandiri, Bank BNI, Pegadaian, Bank BJB, Bank BSI, Bank BRI, and Evermos Sharia Financing. Meanwhile, marketing partners included Toko Organic, Rumah Mode, Sujiva, Diet Plus, Lina Kartika, Superindo, Pillow Cake, Sudut Hutanika, Interlook, Bandung Kunafe, Dama Kara, Saung Udjo, and Tjap Sahabat/Mimilu.
On the first day of Temu Mitra, site visits were organized into financial and marketing partner groups. In the afternoon, micro-enterprises presented their business plans and engaged in negotiations with potential partners. The participants were well-prepared for this crucial stage, having received guidance through the Mikro Mandiri program, which covered business plan development for financing applications and product catalog creation for marketing presentations.
The second day featured a workshop titled “Collaborating to Strengthen Business Development Networks,” followed by further presentations and negotiations between SMEs and prospective partners. Dr. Dina Dellyana, Coordinator of The Greater Hub Business Incubator at SBM ITB, emphasized that Temu Mitra was designed to ensure alignment between partners and the businesses of selected Mikromandiri.id participants.
The Mikromandiri.id 2024 Business Assistance Program is an initiative by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs in the Deputy for Micro Enterprises, aimed at helping micro-businesses tackle challenges such as low entrepreneurial knowledge, business legality issues, limited product quality, and a lack of innovation and financing access.
The Mikro Mandiri program is designed to support micro-enterprises in accessing marketing and financing resources through a range of activities, including sharing sessions, training in marketing and financing, and both in-person and online mentoring and networking events. Most participants in this business assistance program are from the culinary, fashion, handicrafts, beauty, and agriculture/aquaculture sectors and have enthusiastically embraced the program’s comprehensive agenda.
This initiative aims to positively impact small businesses across Indonesia, promoting growth and expansion. Dr. Yulius MA expressed optimism about the program’s outcomes, stating, “We hope that after completing this program, participants will be able to seize market opportunities and access financing more easily, thus tangibly supporting their business development.”
