Nestra Kottama Indonesia, a startup from Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES), successfully showcased its innovation at the Try Everything 2024 event held in Seoul, South Korea, on Wednesday–Thursday (September 11–12, 2024). Try Everything is an annual global startup festival organized by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, designed to connect entrepreneurs, investors, and industry experts from around the world to share ideas, build networks, and explore collaboration opportunities.
The Nestra UNNES team was led by Dr. Eka Yuli Astuti from the Faculty of Languages and Arts (FBS), accompanied by two students — Nalendra Iffata from the Faculty of Engineering (FT) and M. Saiful Arni from the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FIPP).
Nestra Kottama is a startup mentored by the Business and Export Development Organization (BEDO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Industry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and the Indonesian Employers Association (APINDO). At the event, Nestra presented its flagship products — Sustainable Coffee and Sustainable Spices, which promote sustainability in environmental, social, and economic aspects.
During the opening ceremony, the Nestra team had the honor of serving Central Java coffee to Oh Se-hoon, Mayor of Seoul, and other international VVIP guests.
According to Jeff Kristianto, Board Officer and Expert at BEDO, Nestra was selected as one of 30 curated startups from 400 Indonesian startups under the NEXT program by the Ministry of Trade. After receiving three months of export mentoring, Jeff expressed hope that the six selected Indonesian startups would be ready to face global trade challenges and adapt their business strategies to international markets.
Eko Prilianto Sudrajat, Trade Attaché of the Republic of Indonesia, welcomed Nestra’s participation as a university-based startup representing Indonesia on the international stage, particularly in South Korea. He also plans to invite Nestra to participate in other international exhibitions in Seoul to help connect the startup with potential buyers and investors.
On the second day, Nestra, along with five other Indonesian startups, presented their innovative products in a session titled “Unleashing Giants: Indonesian Fast Track to Unicorn Success and Next Big Startups to Watch.” Their Sustainable Spices and Coffee pitch deck attracted strong interest from investors and global startup professionals.
As part of research commercialization and downstream innovation efforts in the global market, Nestra also participated in Business Matching sessions facilitated by the Seoul Business Agency and the Indonesian Trade Attaché in South Korea. The team met with potential buyers to discuss export opportunities for their sustainable coffee and spice innovations. These negotiations are expected to continue toward business contracts, opening significant opportunities for Nestra to expand into international markets.
The participation of UNNES Startup – Nestra Kottama in this prestigious event highlights the capability of Indonesian startups to compete globally and reinforces the university’s commitment to promoting sustainable, research-based innovation in the international marketplace.
