MIHARTO was somewhat doubtful when he was shown a proposal from Growpal in early January. The property developer felt he had to first learn about the business model offered by the fishery startup. "Their proposal was interesting, but because I had never been involved in fish farming, I couldn't afford to make a quick decision," said the 56-year-old when asked how he got to join Growpal as a sponsor.

After going over the proposal, the Surabaya-base