The SelectUSA Indonesia Pitching Competition 2026 highlighted Indonesia’s strong innovation ecosystem and opportunities for startups to expand into the United States (26/03).

The event was held at @america, where U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Heather Merritt delivered opening remarks and served as a judge.

The competition is part of the SelectUSA Investment Summit, a flagship program of the U.S. Department of Commerce that promotes foreign direct investment into the United States.

QuantumByte Wins and Advances to Global Stage

Indonesian technology startup QuantumByte won the final round of the competition.

The company will represent Indonesia at the World Finals of the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2026, scheduled to take place in National Harbor, Maryland, from May 3 to 6.

The summit gathers thousands of investors, companies, and industry leaders, offering opportunities for startups worldwide.

Delta Air Lines is supporting the program by providing round-trip tickets for the winner to attend the event.

Judges Highlight Indonesia’s Innovation Potential

The judging panel included Melisa Irene, Partner at East Ventures, with more than a decade of experience investing in Southeast Asian startups.

Other judges were Firlie Ganinduto, Chairman of ADIGSI, and Novrizal Pratama, Managing Director of Tech in Asia Indonesia.

“Kompetisi ini menyoroti kuatnya ekosistem inovasi Indonesia serta peluang menarik bagi perusahaan-perusahaan ini untuk berekspansi dan berinvestasi di Amerika Serikat,” said Merritt.

SelectUSA Drives Investment and Business Opportunities

Last year’s winner, Fixransomware.com, competed in the World Finals in Maryland and achieved third place in its category.

Through connections built during the summit, the company established a distribution channel in Missouri within the same year.

SelectUSA is a U.S. government initiative that promotes investment across sectors, including advanced manufacturing, ICT, food and beverage, hospitality, agriculture, and retail.

Since its launch, the program has generated more than $130 billion in foreign direct investment into the United States and supported over 100,000 jobs.

PHOTO: US EMBASSY

This article was created with AI assistance.

We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our content, some information may be incorrect or outdated. Please let us know of any corrections at [email protected].