Capacity and Competitiveness Strengthening Provided to 350 Women Entrepreneurs
PT Pertamina has designated 350 top women entrepreneurs as participants of the PFpreneur 2026 programme after a tiered learning and selection process involving 8,210 women-led MSMEs from across Indonesia. The programme, run by Pertamina Foundation, is part of an effort to strengthen the national MSME ecosystem by enhancing the capacity and competitiveness of women entrepreneurs.
Pertamina Foundation’s Director of Operations, Gusman Adiwardhana, stated that PFpreneur is an MSME development instrument designed to drive economic growth through the empowerment of women business owners. Since its launch in 2020, the programme has reached 6,325 women entrepreneurs and produced 840 fostered MSMEs. This year, 350 womenpreneurs were selected from thousands of participants who underwent a three-month selection process.
The selection was divided into four stages: pre-curation, curation 1, curation 2, and final curation, using a system of pre-tests, post-tests, and group assignments. In the pre-curation stage, 3,489 participants passed administrative screening and received basic entrepreneurship training covering leadership, consumer understanding, and product and market value enhancement. In the first curation stage, 2,339 participants received training on business operations, pricing strategies, competitor analysis, marketing, and sales evaluation. The second curation stage saw 1,279 participants learn about product development, branding and positioning, visual promotional content creation, and the use of digital technology and artificial intelligence for business growth. Finally, 802 participants in the final stage received intensive mentoring on business expansion strategies, financial management, pitch deck preparation, public speaking, and business negotiation and communication. From this process, 350 top women MSMEs were officially designated as Pertamina fostered partners through PFpreneur 2026 and have the opportunity to continue to the advanced UMK Academy programme.
Pertamina’s Director of Strategy, Portfolio, and Business Development, who also serves as a Pertamina Foundation Board Advisor, Emma Sri Martini, assessed that strengthening MSMEs is a crucial factor in maintaining national economic resilience amid global challenges. She noted that Indonesia’s domestic strength lies in its MSME sector and that PFpreneur represents Pertamina’s efforts to reinforce this strength through phased coaching, curation, and funneling. Emma added that the programme aligns with the national development agenda, which emphasises strengthening regional economies as the foundation for Indonesia’s economic growth.
The Chairperson of the Central Persatuan Wanita Patra (PWP), Priscilia Simon Mantiri, remarked that PFpreneur has become a space for learning and capacity building for Indonesian women to grow into resilient business owners. She expressed the belief that empowering a woman leads to the growth of her family, her community, and ultimately the nation, making investment in people, particularly women, the best form of investment. She added that the selection of 350 womenpreneurs in the 2026 programme demonstrates the immense potential of Indonesian women in developing businesses while fulfilling various social and family roles. Through this programme, Pertamina hopes that more women-led MSMEs will be able to enhance their business capacity, expand market access, and contribute to strengthening regional and national economies.