Head of Investment Coordination Agency (BKPM), Thomas Lembong, stated in the Grand Launching of UnionSPACE in Soehanna Hall on Thursday, January 18, 2018, that he gave his full support to UnionSPACE, a co-working space provider to open branches in small cities.

"UnionSPACE is good news for digital industry in Indonesia, especially for growing startups. UnionSPACE should not only focus their center in big cities, but also in small cities to improve the qualities of businesses there. They need a community like UnionSPACE," Thomas said.

Thomas added that the growth of startups must be followed by a place where all elements that support the ecosystems can unite in one place.

"Entrepreneurs, especially in the startup scene, need a place where they can unite elements that can actually support the business ecosystem. Eventually, they can collaborate and inspire each other. This is the era of collaboration, so people need to collaborate to succeed," the Minister of Commerce advised.

Thomas stated that the digital and creative industries was not considered a serious field, but now, they are the most sought after industry particularly by the millenials.

"People didn't even looked at these industries, but now, our President Jokowi is the number one supporter for theses industry. Digital industries is the future of Indonesia. Millennial generation is the generation that will lead this sector," Thomas optimistically declared.

In the same occasion, UnionSPACE CEO, Albert Goh stated that the business improvement will not stop in Jakarta. Led by Kejora Ventures and Gan Konsulindo, UnionSPACE will soon launch co-working spaces in several locations.

"We will soon open in Bandung, Yogya, Surabaya and other cities. We're hoping for the collaboration with regional government to support entrepreneurship in each region. We have been doing this with the Government of Jakarta," conclude Albert.

Founding Partner of Kejora Ventures, Andy Zain, said that many top quality startups come from outside Jakarta, such as Surabaya, Bandung, Yogya, Malang and Bali.

"With UnionSPACE presents in those cities, we hope it would be easier and faster to reach them," said Andy.