YES 2026: what ILUNI UI UAE's free entrepreneur programme offers, and who can enter
In this article
Ikatan Alumni Universitas Indonesia Chapter UAE (ILUNI UI UAE) opened registration for the Young Entrepreneur Series (YES) 2026 on 9 September 2026. It is a free entrepreneurship programme and business competition for Indonesian citizens aged 18 to 35, running from September 2026 to January 2027 and ending with a grand final at the Indonesian embassy in Abu Dhabi.
It is run with the Indonesian embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate general in Dubai, with BSI Middle East DIFC Branch, the Dubai branch of Bank Syariah Indonesia, as strategic partner. The theme is "Empowering Ideas. Building Nations."
One rule decides whether the rest of this is for you, so it goes first. Individual entrants and team leaders have to be resident in the UAE. Other team members can live anywhere.
What does the programme consist of?
Three parts, meant to be taken in order.
YES Academy is the teaching. Online sessions across six areas: validating the problem, the customer and the market; value proposition and business model; market entry and growth strategy; finance and commercial viability; the UAE ecosystem and building for global markets; and pitch and funding readiness. The organisers fold responsible use of AI into the sessions where it fits, for market research, customer analysis, business modelling, marketing, financial planning and pitch preparation. Every session is online, so where somebody lives does not stop them attending.
YES Challenge is the competition, in two categories. Idea Stage is for people still developing and validating a business idea. Early Venture is for a startup that has reached testing, piloting or operations, or has begun recording commercial activity. Selected entrants go to a semifinal, and the best go to the grand final at the embassy in Abu Dhabi in January 2027, in person with a hybrid option if it is needed.
YES Connect is the introductions: business practitioners, companies, investors, government bodies and other people working across Indonesia and the UAE. It is not a separate event. It sits inside the Academy sessions, the competition rounds and the grand final.
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The community has been meeting in Jakarta since April 2010. Registering is free and takes a minute.
How is it judged?
Five things, named by the organisers: the strength of the business idea, understanding of the market, commercial viability, capacity to execute, and potential impact.
Two of those, capacity to execute and commercial viability, are easier to evidence from a venture that has already sold something than from an idea on a slide. The two categories are what let the same five questions be asked of both without one competing against the other.
The programme ends with three awards: YES Champion, Best Idea, and Best Early Venture.
Who can enter?
Indonesian citizens aged 18 to 35, either as an individual or as a team of up to five people. Individual entrants and team leaders must be resident in the UAE; other members can be resident in the UAE or in another country. Entrants pick Idea Stage or Early Venture according to how far their business has got. There is no fee.
Know when the next one is
Meetups are announced in the WhatsApp group.
Why the UAE, and why this year?
2026 is the fiftieth year of diplomatic relations between Indonesia and the UAE, and the programme was launched against that anniversary.
The practical answer is in what the UAE gives a founder that Jakarta does not. "The UAE offers a dynamic environment for entrepreneurs to learn, build networks and explore new markets," said Denny Lesmana, Indonesia's consul general in Dubai, describing the programme as ILUNI UI UAE's way of helping Indonesian participants strengthen their business foundations while connecting to the international business ecosystem in Dubai and the wider UAE.
The strategic partner put the same point from the other side. "A strong business cannot rely on a good idea alone. It also needs a viable business model, financial discipline, and a clear market entry strategy," said Tjahjono Soebroto, senior executive officer at BSI Middle East DIFC Branch.
Pinio Nainggolan, who chairs ILUNI UI UAE, described YES as a way of turning ideas into stronger and more credible businesses through practical learning, validation, competition and access to the right networks.
What has not been announced
The prizes. The organisers say the details of the awards and of what participants get will be published on the programme's own site rather than in the launch announcement.
The grand final has a month, January 2027, and no date. The organisers describe the judging by its criteria and do not say how the five are weighted. Neither gap matters much at the point of registering, but both are worth knowing before anybody plans a trip around the final.
How to enter
Registration opened on 9 September 2026 at sayyes.ae, where the full requirements, the programme guide and the participant terms and conditions are published. Questions go to [email protected].
