■ Climate SOLVE Week runs in Busan from September 5 to 10
■ Hackathon, industry conference and startup hub tour walk participants through every stage of launching a business
■ First edition to combine SK Innovation E&S’s two entrepreneurship programs, “I’m in Busan” and “MAJU:ON,” broadening the climate tech ecosystem across both countries
SK Innovation E&S is supporting young entrepreneurs from Korea and Indonesia across the full startup journey—from generating business ideas and developing them into viable ventures, to visiting startup sites in person.
The company announced that it is hosting Climate SOLVE Week in Busan from September 5 to September 10.
Climate SOLVE Week brings together “I’m in Busan” and “MAJU:ON,” the two youth entrepreneurship programs that SK Innovation E&S has been running in Busan and Indonesia, into a single integrated initiative.
■ A Program Spanning the Entire Startup Cycle
The week is organized around three components:
| Program | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Impact Hackathon | September 5 | An idea competition in which university students from both countries develop solutions to real-world challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises based in Busan |
| SOLVE Conference | September 8 | A forum for networking with energy and environmental experts and discussing ways to energize an AI-driven climate tech startup ecosystem |
| Benchmarking Tour | September 9-10 | A visit to the Centum Technology Startup Town (CENTAP) in Busan for firsthand exposure to a working startup ecosystem |
By experiencing the full lifecycle of the startup ecosystem over the course of the week, participants from both countries gain practical insight they can apply to founding and running their own ventures. The event also serves to broaden exchange between Korea and Indonesia and to expand the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the climate and energy sectors.
■ Benchmarking Tour: Learning from Busan’s Startup Ecosystem
Among the participants were AIGRA, and Lifeguards—the teams recognized as top performers at the MAJU:ON event held in Indonesia this past May. The two teams took part in the two-day Benchmarking Tour at Centum Tech-startup Accelerating Program (CENTAP), where they explored Busan’s startup scene in person.
During the tour, Kim Dong-wook, Director of the Busan Technology Startup and Investment Agency, presented an overview of Busan’s startup support policies and long-term vision, while Ahn Tae-wook, Professor at the KAIST Startup Institute, introduced the institute’s work and discussed approaches to international cooperation in climate tech.
Organizations and companies based at CENTAP also introduced their businesses and shared their own entrepreneurial experiences. The MAJU:ON teams were each given the opportunity to select one of these companies for a one-on-one meeting on startup-related topics.
■ SOLVE Conference: Climate, Energy, and the Next Decade
On September 8, the SOLVE Conference was held under the theme of energizing an AI-driven climate tech startup ecosystem and expanding cooperation between Busan and Indonesia. The conference drew approximately 250 participants, including Ali Andika Wardhana, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Korea, and Park Dong-seok, Director General of the Future Industry Bureau at Busan Metropolitan City.
At the conference, Dr. Sonny Hendra Sudaryana, Director of Digital Ecosystem Development at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (KOMDIGI), presented the country’s digital innovation policy and its efforts to build a startup ecosystem. He introduced a “6C” framework — connectivity, capital, capability, commerce, compliance and catalyst — and explained that Indonesia’s digital policy aims to go beyond building platforms, channeling the value created through digital innovation into productivity gains across the real economy. He also shared the government’s “Garuda Spark Innovation Hub” initiative, which aims to nurture 1,000 startups nationwide.
Pyun Jong-in, Senior Project Leader at the Social Value (SV) Committee of the SK SUPEX Council, shared SK Group’s experience in nurturing startups to create social value and foster mutual growth between large corporations and smaller businesses. He outlined two approaches: a region-based model, under which SK builds startup ecosystems in the communities where its business sites are located to help ease the concentration of resources in the greater Seoul area and counter regional decline; and open innovation, a partnership strategy through which SK adopts external technologies at speed while accelerating the growth of the startups behind them.
Startups from both countries then presented their own entrepreneurial journeys, including Raon Friends, a participating company in “I’m in Busan”; SAMA, winner of the hackathon; and AIGRA, a top team from MAJU:ON. SAMA took up a challenge facing Fabric Duct, another I’m in Busan participant that had struggled to find customers and build networks in Indonesia. The team proposed an AI-powered tool that automatically identifies and analyzes potential local clients and reaches out to them with partnership proposals by email.
A panel discussion followed under the theme “Climate and Energy: The Next Decade for Korea and Indonesia.” Participants emphasized the need for the two countries to strengthen a cooperative ecosystem that encompasses the development of young entrepreneurs, technological collaboration, investment linkages, and policy support in order to address shared climate and energy challenges.
■ Statement
Lee Jong-soo, President of SK Innovation E&S, said, “This event brings together a wide range of stakeholders from Korea and Indonesia to work on climate and energy challenges together. We will continue to contribute to a more vibrant climate tech ecosystem and to solving local community challenges by nurturing young entrepreneurs and regional small and medium-sized enterprises.”
■ About the Programs
I’m in Busan
“I’m in Busan” is a citizen participation program that SK Innovation E&S has operated since 2024 in partnership with UD Impact, an ESG consulting firm. The program aims to raise public awareness of energy and environmental issues while supporting the growth of small, medium-sized, and venture businesses in the Busan region. This year, around 20 teams of Korean and Indonesian university and graduate students living in Busan were selected to receive approximately one month of AI training and idea coaching from industry experts.
MAJU:ON
“MAJU:ON” is a startup support program for young Indonesian entrepreneurs. It was launched to create social value and develop young talent in the energy and environmental sectors in Indonesia, where SK Innovation E&S operates a range of businesses including LNG and petroleum exploration and production. Since September of last year, the program has recruited youth startup teams in collaboration with eight leading regional universities across Indonesia, providing end-to-end support that includes entrepreneurship and AI training, networking with senior government officials and industry experts, and one-on-one investment matching with major regional venture capital firms.
[Photos]
(Photo 1) From left, Jeongseok Choi, CEO of Busan City Gas; Yongmin Ji, Head of Sustainability Management at SK Innovation E&S; Donggeun Son, Head of SK Innovation E&S Indonesia Corporation; Ali Andika Wardhana, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Korea; Manjae Choi, Director of the Future Energy Division at Busan Metropolitan City; Yongwoo Kim, Director of the Busan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation; Jehyeon Jung, Vice President of UD Impact; and Taewook Ahn, Professor at the KAIST Startup Institute, pose for a photo at the SOLVE Conference held at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center on September 8.
(Photo 2) Participants from companies selected for the “I’m in Busan” program and members of top-performing teams from “MAJU:ON” pose for a group photo at the SOLVE Conference held at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center on September 8.
(Photo 3, 4) Ali Andika Wardhana, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Korea, gives an interview at the SOLVE Conference held at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center on September 8.
