Founded in 2022 by Ratna Kartadjoemena and Pandu Sjahrir, Paloma Sjahrir Foundation (PSF) supports early-stage impact enterprises in Indonesia by connecting them to potential strategic partners and investors. Championing environmental and social goals alongside financial returns, impact enterprises face unique challenges in their path to growth:
Climate tech startups require extensive experimentation and substantial investments to achieve commercial viability.[1]
Early-stage enterprises focusing on poverty alleviation often need 7+ years to generate outsized financial returns as they develop their business models in low-margin markets that involve heavy investments in stakeholder education.[2]
Depth-focused, non-tech impact enterprises in Indonesia face a funding gap at the early stage (typical ticket sizes between USD 100,000 – 500,000).[3]
The funding gap between angel investors and venture capitalists pushes the need to build an investor network to accumulate funds.[4]
Our founders witnessed these challenges firsthand while nurturing the impact enterprises they invested in. Recognizing the immense value in extending their network’s reach to support these visionary ventures, they established PSF to connect impact entrepreneurs with potential offtakers, investors, and partners, cultivating a thriving ecosystem rooted in shared purpose and boundless potential.
Get involved with the PSF community today and be a part of the crucial conversation surrounding the growth and development of impact enterprises.
Paloma Sjahrir Foundation helps impact enterprises grow and scale by connecting them with strategic partners and investors.
Ratna Kartadjoemena is a serial impact investor, entrepreneur, and environmental advocate. She directs her investments towards advancing women empowerment and addressing climate issues. Her active involvement on the boards and as an advisor to several companies underscores her commitment to these causes.
Ratna’s entrepreneurial journey begin with Potato Head, a regenerative lifestyle brand with hotels and restaurants in Bali, Jakarta, and Singapore. Ratna was instrumental in the development of their initial hotel and creating systems and processes for the group. Additionally, she spearheaded their “Do Good” projects, which focuses on cultivating their zero-waste philosophy and supporting social, environmental, and community impact initiatives.
Her most recent endeavour is establishing Bicara Udara, which advocates for clean air and educates the Indonesian public about air quality issues. Ratna is also recognized as an Asia 21 Young Leader from the Class of 2018.
Pandu Sjahrir is a seasoned investor with a strong focus in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia’s energy transition and the digitalization of its economy. Pandu serves as Vice President Director at PT TBS Energi Utama Tbk (TOBA). TBS’ transformation process is focused on developing green businesses and clean energy, striving to become carbon neutral by 2030. In 2022, Pandu took on the role of CEO at Electrum, a joint venture between TBS and GoTo, with a bold mission to build and serve Indonesia’s electric vehicle ecosystem.
Pandu is a Managing Partner at Indies Capital and a Founding Partner of AC Ventures, a prominent venture capital firm that supports early-stage tech start-ups primarily focused on Indonesia and the broader ASEAN region. Pandu’s investments have been diverse, particularly in technology companies aimed at promoting financial inclusion in Indonesia.
Laura is a finance and investment professional with over a decade of experience in investment banking and venture capital combined. Prior to joining Paloma Sjahrir Foundation, she was with AC Ventures (ACV), an early-stage tech venture fund investing in startups in Indonesia. While at ACV, she focused on the consumer and logistics sectors and played a role in the fund’s fundraising efforts. Her investment banking background also provided her with exposure to corporate finance, mergers and acquisitions (M&A), pre-IPO activities, and risk advisory services.
Laura holds a BA in Finance and Information Systems from California State University, Fullerton.
Kristal brings a combination of strong foundation of academic rigor with hands-on experience in the field of impact-driven initiatives. She recently completed her Master’s degree in Development Studies from the London School of Economics, where she conducted an insightful dissertation focused on micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia, South Korea, and Taiwan. Prior to pursuing her Master’s degree, Kristal led a regional project team at YCAB Foundation, a project that successfully introduced over 14,000 underprivileged female students in Indonesia to career opportunities in the tech industry. Previously, she worked at Universitas Indonesia and Gojek.
Krisal also holds two Bachelor’s Degrees in Business from the University of Melbourne and Universitas Indonesia.