Creatively crafted messages to drive productivity are seen when entering the corridor of the co-working space. The facility, established by the Surabaya administration on Nov. 10, 2017, provides a shared working space with a relaxed atmosphere. Seating is arranged without separation, affording open views of the office building.
Such a design that is not strictly formal is intended to encourage productivity. In a relaxed atmosphere, creative ideas tend to flow more smoothly. Based on that consideration, the corridor is designed to boost the creativity of young people in Surabaya.
Located on Jl. Tunjungan and open for 24 hours, the co-working space aims to accommodate creative young people’s innovation and cooperation in the city. They are encouraged to create products in the field of digital technology that bring benefits to the citizens of Surabaya, known as the "City of Heroes." There are seven rooms on the corridor.
Three rooms, namely Paduraksa, Ruang Baur and Sesrawungan, can be accessed by the public. Paduraksa and Sesrawungan come with free computer and WiFi facilities. Sesrawungan is usually used by Google Digital Gapura to provide training for start-ups using digital technology to carry out trade activities.
"People can also use the Paduraksa room for free to hold activities in the field of technology and entrepreneurship. Proposals can be submitted to Surabaya’s public relations department two weeks before the event," the caretaker of the corridor, Vincentius Surya Putra, said in Surabaya recently.
The other four rooms, Sinausini, Obah Mamah, Pusaran and Ranjana, are restricted areas. The rooms are reserved for digital-technology start-ups in Surabaya that already have products and want to develop them. This space is specially designed to protect the ideas of the business players. Currently, 20 start-ups under the Start Surabaya program occupy these rooms. They are, among others, Riliv, RedBlood and Kreavi.
Vincentius said about 300 young people used the corridor daily. They do not need to pay to use the facilities. Visitors only need to register and submit their identity cards to the officer on duty. "If anyone uses the corridor only to play games or open Youtube, they will definitely be warned, because that is not productive," he said.
Riliv CEO Audrey Maxmilian Herli believes the corridor is very helpful. Since developing online apps for counseling with a psychologist two years ago, he has never had a comfortable office. Previously, he would work on his apps in a house, a library or a cafe.
Free flow of ideas
Since the corridor was opened, he only works there. According to Audrey, whom his friends call Maxi, the corridor provides all the needs for the development of his apps, such as workplace, WiFi and other people with a similar vision. The working site with a view of a high-rise building facilitates the flow of ideas.
In addition, as it is located in a complex housing offices of numerous agencies, it is easy if we need to find supporting data. "Because there are a lot of start-up developers, they can share their knowledge," he said.
Another visitor, Vanny Olvia, 21, a student of the visual communication design department of Petra Christian University, Surabaya, said she used the corridor to do her college assignments and a graphic design side job.
She chose the place for its comfortable seating and Wi-Fi. "In a café, we have to spend money," she added.
The mayor of Surabaya, Tri Rismaharini, said the corridor was made to promote the ideas and creativity of citizens that want to develop start-ups. We don’t want the young people, who want to develop, just to stop at the idea without any action. "With this co-working space, I encourage the youth of Surabaya to develop start-up companies or create products, be it software or hardware," said Risma.
Guidance
They also receive guidance from technology giants like Intel, Microsoft, Google and Facebook. "Local developers can get advice on how to create products needed by the world’s technology companies so that they can compete with developers overseas,” she said.
According to data from the Indonesian Co-Working Association, there were 87 co-working spaces in Indonesia as of April 2017. They are located in Medan (1), Padang (1), Palembang (1), Jakarta (30), South Tangerang (2), Bekasi (2), Bandung (10), Depok (3), Malang (1) (1), Surabaya (6), Makassar (2), Manado (1), Bali (14) and Samarinda (2).
According to Risma, Surabaya has a strong ecosystem to develop digital technology start-ups, because, Surabaya has a number of major campuses, such as Airlangga University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology and Petra Christian University, which all have excellent students. The students of the millennial generation have a passion to grow and a high entrepreneurial spirit.
Their capabilities in the digital world should be further improved, such as by providing them with a shared working space that can be utilized at all times.
Risma encourages business players in Surabaya to enter the digital world. In the Economic Hero program, about 5,000 business players in Surabaya have started to market products on the internet. Based on Startup Ranking data, Indonesia ranks third in the world, with 1,559 start-ups in 2017.
Indonesia is only ranked below the United States with 37,480 start-ups and India with 3,928 start-ups. "Residents of Surabaya must become [doers], not just a target market, because the digital industry is global, not limited to Indonesia," said Risma.
Today, the youth of Surabaya have one reason less not to develop start-ups, because all their needs have been facilitated by the Surabaya city administration. Only with strong will and hard work can Surabaya become a champion in the digital industry.
