During summer 2019, there are four interns who has completed their time to join ANGIN and worked with their own interesting projects. Valentina Sinciera is a student from Podomoro University Jakarta, and Candice (Jiaying) Li, Jacob Wee, and Emily Izmirian are students from the University of Pennsylvania, United States. From this article, they’d like to share their experiences as ANGIN interns!
Valentina Sinciera, a student from Podomoro University Jakarta
Why deciding to do an internship in ANGIN?
I met ANGIN in one of my university’s seminar and I back then I was pretty interested in ANGIN’s business model which is by being the matchmaker between Angel Investors and the startups. After having a short talk with David and Valensia after the seminar, I figure out that both ANGIN and I have a common interest and I get to know that ANGIN actually has the access to the things I’m curious to learn. Which are things around startups, investment and anything in between. Since in my internship I wish to learn more around the startups’ industry and know the players in the industry, I believe that ANGIN is the right place for me to spend my first internship.
Why is it important for you?
There are some reasons why I personally see this internship very important and impactful. First, this internship is important because it’s my first professional work experience and this internship will shapes my work pace, working standard and mindset that I will bring through my next career life. Second of all, I want to see if I’m a good suit for this industry (startup and investment) and decide if I want to focus on this industry later on. From this internship, I also wish to know my interest and decide on what kind of business/startup I want to make after I graduate.
What are you working on and what would be the measurement of your own success?
There are basically two stuff that I’m focusing on during my internship in ANGIN, supporting the investment team as the investment intern and becoming the lead to the ANGIN Podcast (ANGIN Talks) project. I would consider myself as a successful investment intern if I can understand investor’s way of thinking and be able to give an accurate marking on the startups that’s currently in the industry (since I’m still very new to the industry). Being able to network through a lot of events and get to be inside the ecosystem is also very important for me since by attending those events I get the opportunity to actually see and understands the logic in this industry. Second of all, I would consider myself a success in the podcast project if I can make a few high-quality podcasts that can help a lot of people and have this podcast project sustainable in ANGIN. Last but not least, I will be very happy and feel so successful when “I get to know the things that I didn’t know before” because that’s how I’ll get to know the things that I should catch up and focus on learning.
What have you learn during the internship in ANGIN and what is the most memorable experience with working in ANGIN?
I learned a lot of things in ANGIN, this internship shapes my way of thinking and it opens up my perspective upon a lot of things especially regarding the investment and startup related things. Having nice and supportive mentors and coworkers, I get to understand a little about the investment world. Here they even entrust me with a lot of responsibility, so I get to learn to be more disciplined and reliable. Even though I’m still very blind about the industry, as I have my internship in ANGIN I get to be in the ecosystem, meet a lot of inspiring people, have the opportunity to observe and learn from the startups that exist around me.
Candice (Jiaying) Li, Jacob Wee, and Emily Izmirian, students from the University of Pennsylvania, United States.
Why did you choose Indonesia?
Emily: Having grown up in California and living in the United States my whole life, I have tried to take every opportunity to travel and learn about different cultures. I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Europe, but unfortunately never Asia. I first learned of the opportunity to do an internship in Asia because of a program run by the University of Pennsylvania, the Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP). It is because of this opportunity that I began to consider working in Asia for the summer. Specifically, I chose Indonesia as the place I wanted to work in because of ANGIN itself. On the job posting, David emphasized the hands-on nature of the company and the impact we could create by working with the firm. ANGIN and its mission as well as my desire to travel to Asia heavily influenced my decision to choose to come to Indonesia for the summer.
Jacob: I learned about the opportunity to do an internship for ANGIN from the Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) by the University of Pennsylvania. I decided to choose ANGIN because of the experience I would gain in both investment and consulting. I was interested in the ways in which a startup could get funding, especially from the perspective of an angel investor. Aside from the investing experience, living most of my life in the Philippines, I was curious about Indonesia. Since Indonesia is a country much like the Philippines, I thought that working here could help me reflect on the differences, similarities, and benefits of working in a place such as the Philippines.
Candice: Based in China, I knew that for my freshman summer, I wanted to be somewhere close to home. When I started my search, I narrowed down my scope to something in business, either in investing, consulting or marketing. I happened to talk to a Penn Alum who previously intern at ANGIN, and was immediately intrigued by his internship experience here. My time here has definitely lived up to expectations and much more.
What you thought and what you saw: How is now Indonesia to your eyes?
Indonesia is much different from other countries in the way that business and life flows.
Specifically, in business, we have found that there is a much greater importance placed on relationships than is emphasized in the United States and other countries. In order to get projects completed or acquire partnerships, it is important to know and have good relations with the people around you. It is difficult to get connected with different organizations if you do not already have a connection with someone affiliated or know someone who has a connection with them.
In daily life, everything goes at a slower pace than in other places. For example, in the United States there is a feeling of being rushed everywhere and always being in a hurry. During our time in Indonesia, we have found that a majority of people take their time with the work they are doing or their current activity.
While these two aspects of Indonesian life are different than what we are used to, the three of us have learned to adapt and have begun to appreciate the nuances of working and living in the country.
What are you working on?
Our main project this summer is to relaunch the Connector.ID platform, an initiative developed by ANGIN, AWS, UNDP, and BE KRAF. It is a free, online matching platform that connects entrepreneurs and fund providers in Indonesia. Although the website is functional, our relaunch goals include fixing the algorithm, relaunching the website, and building momentum after relaunch.
As a part of product development, we worked heavily with developers to refine the algorithm and complete fixes for the website. Such efforts include working through the database to store and import information more effectively, handling the backend maintenance, developing and managing the website’s SEO, and monitoring the data analytics.
Another big focus of ours is outreach and creating partnerships. We reached out to many local accelerators, incubators, universities and have established connections with organizations such as Installer, ITB, and BINUS, and a key partnership with Plug and Play. While we are pursuing new relationships, we liaise with our existing ones, such as AWS and UNDP. We have been able to create traction due to the many events where we represented Connector.ID, among which are the AWS Activate Partners Summit and the Indonesia Development Forum. Part of our outreach effort has been dedicated to social media and SEO generation. We have revitalized Connector.ID’s social media platforms, devised a marketing strategy, created content, and are currently looking to publish articles on our partners’ websites to generate more traction.
As we approach the end of our time at ANGIN, we are focusing on the sustainability of the platform. Other than applying to incubator and accelerator programs and liaising with current and future partners, we have created a roadmap for the future development Connector.ID.
What have you learned during the internship in ANGIN and what is the most memorable experience with working in ANGIN?
For all of us, working in ANGIN has been an enlightening experience. From understanding and evaluating pitch decks to attending startup events and talking with developers, we’ve learned a great deal both about Indonesia and it’s booming startup ecosystem.
In our first week in the internship, we learned about the complicated and rigorous startup funding process that every startup applying for funding through ANGIN undertakes. Not only are the startups scored on market fit, scalability, competitiveness, and track record, but the founders of the startup are also important. Indeed, we learned that success in a startup is less about the startup and more about the people who lead it. For this exact reason, ANGIN ensures that personal interaction and interviews are the norms before any of the startups reach an angel investor.
Now, as our hands are focused on relaunching Connector.ID, we’ve learned an entirely different set of skills. Meeting and partnering with clients to host workshops and expand our network has taught me to be fully prepared in each situation. Most of all, we’ve learned to value our partner’s time. That means to manage expectations and be as clear as possible in every situation. This means organizing meeting notes, responding quickly and promptly to e-mails and WhatsApp messages, and keeping all our projects recorded on a Trello Board.
