Coca-Cola Amatil’s (CCA) venture capital platform Amatil X has launched operations in Indonesia to support local food and beverage start-ups.

Through this initiative, CCA aims to capitalise on Jakarta’s reputation as the next start-up capital of South-East Asia in terms of investment and number of deals.

Coca-Cola Amatil Group managing director Alison Watkins said: “There is rapid growth in start-up and venture capital funding in Jakarta, and we aim to be part of that trend.

“We are seeing growth in the food and beverage sector where consumer trends and technology are merging. For example, restaurant tech is personalising the experience for consumers and driving profitability for customers.

“We aim to harness that growth to deliver technology solutions for customers and consumers, including in on-demand delivery and in-store analytics. This will benefit Amatil in Indonesia, Australia and across the region.”

“We are committed to helping world-class organisations like Coca-Cola Amatil embrace the lean start-up methodology.”

Amatil X’s pilot partnership is between Coca-Cola Amatil Indonesia and Digitaraya, a local accelerator programme that is powered by Google Developers Launchpad.

The venture capital platform will seek companies that address on-demand delivery, distribution optimisation, in-store analytics and sustainable packaging.

Amatil X also announced the establishment of the Amatil X Academy programme, which aims to build entrepreneurial capability. It is supported by venture studio and innovation group BlueChilli.

BlueChilli CEO Sebastien Eckersley-Maslin said: “At BlueChilli, our mission is to help people anywhere solve society’s greatest challenges with technology.

“As part of this, we are committed to helping world-class organisations like Coca-Cola Amatil embrace the lean start-up methodology, so they can better adapt to disruptive shifts, innovate rapidly and transform their business for the future.”

Launched in April last year, Amatil X has invested in start-ups Doshii and TabSquare.