Medan has a small but growing community engaged in business start-up and venture capital. While overshadowed by the start-up boom in larger Indonesian cities, the resourceful landscape has attracted new ventures seeking a launchpad outside the capital of Jakarta.
A relatively young city, Medan’s average age is between 15 and 39 years old. This coupled with a fixation on IT education in local schools has produced a tidal wave of technology experts. But despite opportunity, Medan’s workers prefer larger, established firms; the concept of start-up organizations is still relatively foreign to citizens.
Companies that have successfully set-up shop in Medan have begun the process of building the city’s ecosystem to nurture and incubate other companies looking to crack the local market. Many of the most successful local start-up firms are focused on digital marketing and eCommerce – a concept that is taking off from the ground up. Many organizations in Medan are accustomed to selling their products and services on social media platforms. Yet the local market is quick to adapt, with new forms of digital sales on the rise.