Five travel start-ups will be selected to pitch their ideas live at the first WIT Indonesia taking place in Jakarta on March 27 at the Pullman Central Park.

At close of entry last week, a dozen submissions were received and the judging panel will now have the task of shortlisting the finalists.

"We are delighted with the number of entries we've received for our inaugural start-up competition. It shows the huge interest in travel e-commerce and the dynamism of the Indonesian market with its vast pool of talent and entrepreneurs," said Yeoh Siew Hoon, editor and founder of WIT.

The judging panel comprises Fritz Demopoulos, CEO, Queen's Road Capital; Morris Sim, CEO & Co-founder, Circos Brand Karma; Kei Shibata, CEO, Venture Republic (travel.jp), Japan; Brett Henry, Vice President-Commercial, Abacus International; Timothy Hughes, Vice President Marketing, Agoda; and Turochas Fuad, CEO & Co-founder, Travelmob.

"What the judges are looking for is viability of the idea, sustainability of the business model, scalability as well as the team. Of course, there's also the quality of the pitch and that indefinable X-factor during the live pitch," said Siew Hoon.

The winner, who will be named at the close of the day's event at the Pullman Central Park, will receive two air tickets to Singapore  to attend the main WIT Conference Oct 21-23. Accommodation will also be covered by Travelmob, which is sponsoring the prize for this inaugural travel start-up competition in Indonesia.

Right: Pullman Central Park

Travelmob - a short term rentals marketplace - was launched last year by Turochas Fuad, an Indonesian-born entrepreneur and his co-founder, Prashant Kirtane and this sponsorship is "to show our support for travel entrepreneurs and start-ups looking similarly to disrupt the travel industry and contribute fresh ideas to the travel ecosystem", said Fuad.

The finishing touches are being put on the programme for the inaugural WIT Indonesia which will blend global insights with local knowledge to create a platform for exchange and learning in one of Asia's hottest emerging markets. WIT Indonesia is co-organised by Web In Travel and Kibar Kreasi.

Following the day's sessions, the WITNext cocktails will be held and will be open to at least 50 students from local schools and universities as part of WIT's mission of inspiring young minds and connecting youths with industry professionals.

See programme here:

www.webintravel.com/content.php?c=268&desc=Programme