The launch of Matangi Bhumi Lestari, a green startup incubation program by Bali Entrepreneur Collaborator (BEC) and New Energy Nexus Indonesia, went beyond formalities of MoUs and business pitches. Through a series of sharing sessions, guest speakers highlighted how local wisdom, culture, and creativity must guide Bali’s path toward sustainable entrepreneurship.
Music as Advocacy, Climate as Urgency
Musician and activist Gede Robi of Navicula opened his session by reflecting on the power of art in shaping social awareness.
Years ago, he wrote Mafia Hukum to critique corruption, but the issue felt distant to many listeners. Today, with songs about climate protection, the response is markedly different.
Deforestation and land conversion have led to floods and environmental degradation across Bali, making ecological issues deeply personal. “When people already relate, it means the damage is happening.
It’s like treating disease - it’s far more costly than preventing it from the start,”
He connected this urgency with findings from the Pulau Plastik campaign, where research at Pasar Badung showed waste tripling during odalan ceremonies. The lesson, he noted, is that cultural rhythms directly shape environmental challenges, and solutions must be designed with those rhythms in mind.
Values that Endure
The conversation on indigenous knowledge continued with reflections on Balinese principles of kamma, artha, and gune – values rooted in responsibility, livelihood, and purpose.
These teachings, speakers argued, should serve as a compass for entrepreneurship in Bali: guiding businesses to be not only profitable but also purposeful, ethical, and in harmony with the environment.
Bridging traditional wisdom with modern entrepreneurial tools, Ima Rida, co-founder of Magi Farm, shared her experience of applying design thinking in practice. Using Magi Farm as a reference case, she walked participants through the business model canvas, stressing the importance of iteration and continuous adaptation.
Her message was clear: sustainable entrepreneurship requires more than good ideas—it demands structured experimentation, reflection, and refinement.
For New Energy Nexus, the program is about ecosystem-building rather than simple networking. “This program is not only about growing businesses, but about creating real solutions in Bali. It’s not just entrepreneurship – it’s innovation,” said Program Manager Renaldo Sutjiady.
Moderator I Putu Gatot Adiprana echoed this by noting that the incubation process will help startups test prototypes and prepare for Demo Day evaluations, while ensuring their ventures integrate both technical expertise and cultural grounding.
Together, the sharing sessions painted a picture of what Bali’s green economy could look like: not a carbon copy of global trends, but a locally rooted model that blends indigenous wisdom with modern innovation.
With 25 startups now entering the incubation journey, Matangi Bhumi Lestari aims to cultivate a new generation of entrepreneurs – those who see business as more than profit, but as a pathway to restore balance between people, culture, and the planet.
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