Endeavor Indonesia gathers VCs, founders at summit; looks to grow global cohort

Thirty venture capital firms and as many growth-stage startups came together for a networking event hosted by Endeavor Indonesia, the local arm of the global entrepreneur network, on the sidelines of DealStreetAsia’s Indonesia PE-VC Summit 2026 on January 29, marking the start of what it hopes will be a stronger year for the startup ecosystem.

Select participants from various sectors and verticals engaged in curated match-making sessions facilitated by Endeavor Indonesia to encourage targeted introductions and potential collaborations.

According to Yonas Christian, head of marketing communications and business development at Endeavor Indonesia, the objective was to encourage knowledge-sharing and stimulate business activity within the VC and startup landscape, which has experienced a pronounced slowdown in recent times.

Data from DealStreetAsia’s Southeast Asia Startup Funding Report: Full Year 2025 show that startup funding transactions in the region dropped to 461 last year—the lowest deal count in at least seven years. In Indonesia, while the deal volume has steadied in the last three six-month periods, it remains far below historical average, reflecting limited signs of a sustained recovery in venture investments.

“This networking event is one of Endeavor’s ways to support founders and VCs—to help them meet one another, which would hopefully result in something encouraging,” Yonas said.

Endeavor Indonesia’s core mission is to identify and support high-impact entrepreneurs through a rigorous global selection process to become Endeavor Entrepreneurs. Once selected, these founders gain access to Endeavor’s global network of experienced founders, investors, and industry leaders, along with strategic mentorship to help them scale their companies and expand their impact. 

Beyond this flagship entrepreneur selection programme, Endeavor Indonesia also runs a range of initiatives across the archipelago, including scale-up programmes that support promising early-stage companies through structured mentorship from seasoned industry leaders.

Crème de la crème

While Endeavor’s programmes are open to the wider startup community, admission into its global entrepreneur network programme is notably more selective.

The organisation cherry picks Endeavor Entrepreneurs by scouting across the globe, identifying founders with the highest growth potential, and inviting them to participate in its renowned international selection process.

Once selected, these high-impact entrepreneurs receive support from Endeavor through its global network of experienced founders, investors, and industry leaders, along with mentorship and strategic guidance to help them overcome scaling challenges. This support enables them to Dream Bigger, Scale Faster, and Multiply Impact—growing their companies while becoming role models and mentors who support the next generation of entrepreneurs within the ecosystem.

The selection process to become an Endeavor Entrepreneur is rigorous and designed to identify founders with the potential to build high-impact companies. Throughout the process, candidates engage in a series of panel interviews and discussions that expose them not only to local mentors and investors but also to Endeavor’s global network of experienced founders, business leaders, and industry experts—providing valuable insights and connections even during the selection journey.

Over the 13 years that Endeavor has been in Indonesia, only 116 entrepreneurs from around 76 companies have been inducted as Endeavor Entrepreneurs. The list includes marquee names such as Bukalapak co-founder Achmad Zaky, former GoPay CEO Aldi Haryopratomo and Kopi Kenangan co-founder and CEO Edward Tirtanata.

Prominent Indonesian business leaders Arsjad Rasjid and Achmad Zaky are among the board members of Endeavor Indonesia, supporting the organisation’s mission to back high-impact entrepreneurs.

“Every year there are around a thousand [candidates], and we want as many of them to make it, but the acceptance rate is really low because it’s really rigorous,” Yonas said.

The recent tech winter in the market, he added, has made the admission of Indonesian entrepreneurs into the programme twice as hard. Over the past few years, Indonesia has averaged an acceptance rate of around seven entrepreneurs per year. 

Last year, however, only one company was selected—Natasha Ardiani, the co-founder and CEO of fintech startup DurianPay.

Singapore in scope

Yonas is hopeful that more names recommended by Endeavor Indonesia will make it this year, especially after Endeavor decides to take more focus on the Singapore-based, high-growth startup companies.

The Jakarta-based organisation recently supported a Singapore company that has a presence in Singapore and Indonesia, which means it can now recommend Singapore’s best startup entrepreneurs for the global programme.

“Several promising startups from Singapore that generate a great market in Indonesia have taken part in the initial panel interview process in Indonesia,” Yonas said. “In fact, two of them have already been selected as Endeavor Entrepreneur this February  through an international selection panel in Singapore.”

On its website, Endeavor announced the induction of Jefferson Chen—co-founder, chairman and CEO of AI-native financial and data platform Advance Intelligence Group—into its global network.

The five-member founding team of shopping rewards platform ShopBack—Henry Chan, Joel Leong, Shanru Lai, Josephine Chow and Justin Lee—were also selected, after progressing through the initial stages of Endeavor’s selection process in Indonesia.

The international selection panel held in Singapore in January—the 106th convened by Endeavor—resulted in 23 entrepreneurs being selected. The cohort comprises founders from a diverse set of markets, including Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Colombia and Spain.

While Singapore does not host a traditional Endeavor office focused on local entrepreneur selection and portfolio support, the organisation recently told DealStreetAsia that it plans to establish a global hub in the city-state this year.

The hub will be designed to connect entrepreneurs with international capital, markets and networks, enabling them to scale globally.