Jakarta, 17 December 2019 - SUN Business Network Indonesia (SBN Indonesia) and Innovation Factory, established 10 finalists of the 2019 SUN Pitch Competition. The competition with the theme "Food Design Innovation with a Focus on Overcoming Anemia and Malnutrition", a collaboration between eight companies, namely; PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk, PT Kalbe Farma Tbk, PT Nutrifood Indonesia, PT Otsuka Indonesia, PT Tirta Investama, PT BASF Indonesia, PT Cargill Indonesia and PT East West Seed Indonesia, all members of SBN Indonesia.

The 2019 Sun Pitch Competition aims to produce new solutions in developing affordable and highly nutritious food products; rich in iron, vitamin C, animal and vegetable protein, to help overcome the problem of anaemia and malnutrition which are the two biggest challenges in Indonesia.

According to RISKESDAS 203 data, more than 1 in 5 Indonesian women aged 15 years and over have anaemia, while the number for men is 1 in 6. This figure is even higher among pregnant women, as much as 1 in 3. This makes foetuses at higher risk of experiencing disorders, such as low birth weight (LBW), a birth weight of less than 2.5 kg, which are susceptible to disease and early age mortality. Anaemia can also be passed on from mother to child, increasing the risk of morbidity and decreasing intelligence.

"SBN Indonesia invites local MSMEs to be part of the solution to the problem of anaemia and malnutrition through product innovation. We are pleased to see the enthusiasm and creativity of business, industry, SMEs and entrepreneurs in this competition. This shows the spirit of collaboration to accelerate the alleviation of the problems of anaemia and nutrition in Indonesia. " said Axton Salim, SBN Global Advisory Group Co-Chair and Indonesian SBN Coordinator who is also the Director of PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk.

The final pitch held today was the culmination of the competition evaluation, after receiving a total of more than XX proposals for a whole month. Today 10 finalists will present the food design solutions they have developed, before a panel of judges consisting of Indonesian SBN members, Co-Chair of the SBN Global Advisory Group, Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia, Accelerice and Innovation Factory, located at Block 71, Jakarta.

From 10 finalist, top 3 winners will be funded with 225 miilions IDR and will received exclusive mentoring from SBN Indonesia and other experts. Beside that, the first winner will have a chance to join Global Sun Pitch Competition in Food Industry Asia 2020 in Singapore.

About Scaling Up Nutrition Business Network (SBN)

SBN is the only global platform dedicated to the business of nutrition, with the aim of reducing malnutrition in all forms – through involving and supporting businesses to act, invest, innovate and operate responsibly and sustainably, in order to improve nutrition. To do this, SBN provides a platform to bridge partnerships and collaboration between businesses and all nutrition actors at the national, regional and global levels to support SUN Countries. SBN is organized by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the World Food Program (WFP). SBN is supported by a global secretariat based in London, UK.

About Innovation Factory

A platform of tech innovation initiatives in Indonesia. As a technology innovation hub in Indonesia, we enable key actors in the tech startup ecosystem to meet, collaborate and scale together. Innovation Factory launched its seminal initiative under the BLOCK71 Indonesia brand. In partnership with NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial arm of National University of Singapore, BLOCK71 Jakarta was opened in 2017 with the mission of supporting innovation and entrepreneurship development in Indonesia.

BLOCK71 Jakarta is an ecosystem builder and global connector, which catalyses and aggregates the start-up community. Following the success of BLOCK71 Jakarta, we have opened two other locations under BLOCK71 Indonesia at BLOCK71 Bandung, and BLOCK71 Yogyakarta. In the year 2019, Innovation Factory also launched its newest venture under Innovation Factory@Wisma 46. We are committed to expanding our reach beyond an ecosystem builder to become a cultivator of the next key players within Indonesia’s tech industry.

Innovation Factory is committed in nurturing the tech startup ecosystem. Building a thriving tech and innovation startup community and establishes partnerships with organizations and corporations to foster technological innovations, empowering both Indonesian as well as international startups through a series of accelerators, market access and corporate innovation programs. Innovation Factory is also a part of a global network with presence in South East Asia (Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand), USA, and China.

Media Contact:

Nurulita Novi Arlaida
Head of Corporate Public Relations
PT Indofood Sukses Makmur Tbk
Sudirman Plaza Indofood Tower Lantai 9
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 76-78
Jakarta 12910
T. +62 21 5795 8822 ext. 1169
F. +6221 5793 7466
E. nurulita.arlaida@indofood.co.id

Widya Sukarta
Marketing Manager
Innovation Factory
Wisma BNI 46 Kota BNI Lantai 45
Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 1
Jakarta Pusat 10220
T. (021) 3972 2010
E. widya@innofactory.co