Instellar is a pioneer of social impact advisory in Indonesia and the only one with a B Corporation™ certification. Their team is focused on accelerating social innovation in organisations through consultancy, programme, and investment by incorporating three main excellences: impact, communication, and operation. Having impacted more than 270 social enterprises since 2017, Instellar has been a driving force in developing the impact ecosystem in Indonesia.

We at SEED have privilege to work together with Instellar, host of our SEED Hub in Indonesia. In order to learn more about their perspective on the collaboration and the future activities in 2024, we interviewed their team represented by Anugrah Rizky, Head of Programme, Salma Sulthanah, Enterprise Development Lead and Elok Sasisuci, Partnership Lead.

Tell us about your role as SEED Hub in Indonesia. What has been the main focus for the partnership?

The SEED Indonesia Hub is actively collaborating with key ecosystem stakeholders, such as earth-centered economy coalition (KEM), a collective movement to accelerate nature-based business & investment ecosystem connected with Indonesia’s local wisdom, to develop a sustainability strategy. This strategy aims to provide a robust foundation for long-term growth by creating a collaborative model and supporting large-scale projects, such as blended financing facilities. This initiative is crucial for ensuring the sustained impact and development of the SEED Indonesia Hub.

In an effort to strengthen the local support ecosystem, the SEED Indonesia Hub, along with the global team, is engaged in a co-creation process. The objective is to develop a support toolkit specifically tailored to the Indonesian context. By involving local stakeholders in the development, the toolkit becomes a shared resource, reinforcing the SEED Indonesia Hub's role as a facilitator and collaborator in supporting local enterprises.

Beyond its core activities, the SEED Indonesia Hub is actively contributing to the broader ecosystem development. This includes representing SEED at various events, supporting the formation of the Indonesia Sustainable Development Coalition, and enhancing visibility through dedicated representation. These efforts collectively contribute to the SEED Indonesia Hub's recognition and influence in the sustainable development landscape.

What do you take away from the collaboration between Instellar and SEED, as a SEED Hub?

The collaboration with SEED has opened up opportunities for a dynamic partnership with the sustainable economy coalition. This coalition, consisting of diverse organisations with a shared vision, collaborates to brainstorm strategies for uplifting MSMEs beyond the Java area. Together, our goal is to create a comprehensive manual guidebook to assist local incubators in effectively implementing their programmes. This collaborative effort enhances our reach and impact in supporting the growth of MSMEs.

The toolkits provided by SEED are valuable to support our efforts to develop an effective incubator toolkit. These resources offer practical insights and best practices that greatly contribute to the refinement and enhancement of our own toolkit.

Through our collaboration with SEED, we have been able to establish connections with a wider network, including the European Union. SEED's facilitation of these connections has broadened our network and strengthened our position within a global network dedicated to sustainable development.

This increased network not only broadens our organisational reach but also opens up opportunities for potential partnerships, furthering our impact in sustainable development.

In your opinion, how do eco-inclusive enterprises benefit from such partnerships?

Eco-inclusive enterprises gain access to resources and expertise that are designed to meet the unique challenges and requirements of sustainable businesses.

Partnerships with organisations like SEED open doors to a broader network of stakeholders and like-minded enterprises. This expanded network provides eco-inclusive enterprises with valuable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge exchange, and market access

Partnerships like the one between SEED and Instellar provide eco-inclusive enterprises more accessible support, simplifying their ability to tackle specific business needs and ultimately enhancing their sustainability and impact.

What is upcoming in 2024 for your organisation and the SEED Hub?

In 2023, we are really proud to have established a significant presence in Earth-centred economic coalition, contributing to various workshops, forums and events. We have also conducted co-creation workshops to collaboratively develop an incubator toolkit designed for local incubators in regions to become proper and well-functioning organisations. In 2024, we will continue the progress from the previous workshops by finalising the incubator toolkit. After that, we plan to conduct training of trainers for several local incubators as a pilot for this module to gather input and feedback for its refinement. This will help us make the toolkit even better.

In the long term, after completing the incubator toolkit, we, along with the coalition, will start developing a module for SMEs. This module is a continuation of the previously created incubator module, with the focus of this module being on the SMEs themselves, how to help local SMEs advance and also become environmentally conscious.

What is your overall assessment of partnership with SEED?

We've had a great collaboration with SEED, and we appreciate the positive working relationship. Let's keep up the good work, and know that we're committed to supporting SEED in the Indonesian market. Looking forward to continued success together.