Pertamina Selects 350 Women Entrepreneurs for PFpreneur 2026 Business Development Programme
Amidst the bustling atmosphere of Car Free Day (CFD), Pertamina officially inaugurated 350 top women entrepreneurs selected for the PFpreneur 2026 programme. They were chosen from 8,210 female-led MSMEs who registered and underwent a series of training and selection stages over the past three months. The PFpreneur programme is part of Pertamina’s MSME development ecosystem, run by the Pertamina Foundation, aimed at stimulating national economic growth by strengthening women-led micro and small businesses. Since its launch in 2020, the programme has empowered 6,325 women entrepreneurs, with 840 becoming fostered partners.
Pertamina Foundation’s Director of Operations, Gusman Adiwardhana, explained that the 350 selected womenpreneurs completed a capacity-building process divided into four selection stages: pre-curation, curation 1, curation 2, and final curation, utilising pre-tests, post-tests, and group assignments. During the pre-curation phase, 3,489 participants passed the administrative selection and received basic entrepreneurship training covering leadership, consumer understanding, and strengthening product and market value. In curation 1, 2,339 participants advanced to learn about business operations, cost structures, pricing, competitor analysis, marketing strategies, and sales evaluation to solidify their business foundations. Curation 2 saw 1,279 MSMEs receive training on product development, branding and positioning, promotional visual content creation, and the use of technology and artificial intelligence to support business growth. Finally, 802 participants entered the final curation stage, receiving intensive mentoring on business growth strategies, financial management, pitch deck preparation, public speaking, and business negotiation and communication.
Emma Sri Martini, Director of Strategy, Portfolio, and Business Development at PT Pertamina (Persero) and Chair of the Pertamina Foundation Board of Trustees, stated that strengthening the domestic MSME ecosystem is key to facing global dynamics. ‘Indonesia’s domestic strength lies in its MSME sector. PFpreneur is one of Pertamina’s efforts to strengthen this by providing coaching, curation, and funneling in stages. The hope is that these local women-led businesses will have the capability to Go Digital and Go Online, and once their fundamentals are strong, we will leverage marketing to bring them Go Global. This is in line with the Asta Cita vision for national economic growth through regional economic growth,’ Emma said. Meanwhile, Priscilia Simon Mantiri, Chairperson of the Central Board of the Persatuan Wanita Patra (PWP), praised Pertamina Foundation’s consistency in providing a learning and growth space for Indonesian women. ‘When a woman is empowered, it is not only she who grows. Her family grows, her community develops, and ultimately the nation becomes stronger. That is why we believe the best investment is investment in people, especially women,’ she stated, adding that the 350 selected womenpreneurs are proof of the extraordinary resilience of Indonesian women in developing businesses while fulfilling roles in their families and communities.
Following the PFpreneur programme, the selected womenpreneurs will have the opportunity to join Pertamina’s advanced MSME development programme, UMK Academy. Emma advised participants that while being part of PFpreneur is an achievement, maintaining the spirit of continuous learning is even more important. One of the beneficiaries, Shaskia Yasmin Susthira, owner of the Genah brand which produces bags from upcycled fabrics featuring Indonesian cultural motifs and received the Best Sustainable Product award, expressed her gratitude for the training that has helped her business and entrepreneurial skills grow.