Indonesian tech giant Gojek launched an accelerator program called Gojek Xcelerate today in Jakarta.
The program is run in collaboration with Indonesian startup hub Digitaraya, which manages and supports multiple accelerator programs and works closely with Google in Indonesia, among other ecosystem stakeholders.
Xcelerate will provide a series of intensive acceleration program for 20 selected startups that will be divided into four batches, with one batch lasting one month. The aim is to help local startups develop faster and maximize their positive impact on society.
The program is designed in collaboration with experts from Google Developers Launchpad, global management firm McKinsey & Company, UBS Bank, as well as first-hand mentorship from the key figures of the unicorn itself.
“Gojek has been lucky to be able to get where we are and we’ve been excited to continue this journey further. We want to give back to the community and contribute to the success of others through the Gojek Xcelerate program,” Gojek president Andre Soelistyo said at a press event in Jakarta.
According to Soelistyo, Gojek wants to be a growth partner for startups through its third party platform program that allows startups to appear inside Gojek’s app feed to be seen by Gojek’s tens of millions of customers.
Some third-party services that have been integrated into the Gojek system this way are the GoNews bundle, offered in collaboration with media outlet Kumparan; GoGive which is in collaboration with crowdfunding platform Kita Bisa; and GoMall which is done in partnership with e-commerce giant JD.id.
Gojek doesn’t rule out the possibility to provide financial support to startups in its accelerator, although giving up equity for funding is not an integral part of the program.
Because human capital plays a critical role in a company’s growth and success, Gojek will take part in an intensive mentorship program so that startups can learn about the ins and outs of digital business directly from industry players, Soelistyo said. The program is now open for applications and will start selecting startups for its first batch by mid-September.
Gojek’s main rival Grab already has an accelerator program called Grab Velocity.