Co-founder of The Golden Space Indonesia, Managing Director of The Golden Space Global Capital, and Impact Angel Investor
Stephanie is an unconventional leader, award-winning entrepreneur, author and angel investor who is on a mission to rebalance the world through business, meditation and investing.
“As a leader, my goal is not to become a leader in the future, but just to generate more self-leaders,” Stephanie quips. Always focusing on the vision rather than micromanaging, Stephanie loves working with people who can live outside of the box.
Stephanie started her first venture virtually straight after university. When Stephanie graduated, the plan was to help her father run his consulting enterprise. However, a family problem unexpectedly emerged and forced her to change course, from running her father’s consulting enterprise to nothing. From this need to survive, the furniture firm Arbor & Troy was born.
Seven years later, the firm turned out to do extremely well. Stephanie was at the height of her career and making lists such as Fortune’s 40 Under 40. Despite all the success, Stephanie found herself falling into a deep depression.
Stephanie was 24 years old when she started a furniture enterprise. “The foundation (of) making the (first) enterprise was anger, sadness, so that carried on the depression.”
The event prompted Stephanie to take a step back. She joined a retreat program, took up meditation and sold the high-performing Arbor & Troy to a private equity firm. She then launched a new business – the meditation space called The Golden Space.
As Stephanie further developed her interests, she realized that she wanted to create more impact through investing. Just as meditation rebalances one’s energy, Stephanie wants to rebalance the way people spend their money.
“I kept thinking of the concept of profit and purpose. At the time, I didn’t know I was describing social enterprise, and that the way I wanted to change how money was being used was called impact investment,” Stephanie says.
Her first investment was in Kitabisa.com – a fundraising website channeling donations to social causes – made through ANGIN. Since then, Stephanie has invested in several social enterprises driving impact in various sectors.
Last year, her private impact investment holding enterprise The Golden Space Global Capital held an impact-oriented startup challenge that is mostly participated in by women, GAIA Impact Challenge (GIC). The program aimed to support and accelerate early-stage enterprises with a focus on marine life, women and children, and plants and animals.
Stephanie is also well-known as a committee member of Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) Indonesia, a global business network of 10,000+ leading entrepreneurs in more than 143 chapters and 46 countries. EO Indonesia has one of the highest numbers of women entrepreneurs across all chapters globally.
While Stephanie does not believe in limiting her investment strategy based on gender, she considers investment opportunities that solve gender inequality problems in certain areas, as she sees fit.
Stephanie says she prefers to invest in entrepreneurs, regardless of gender, who have real motivation that is often derived from their “deepest struggles”.
Stephanie would like to see more entrepreneurs demonstrating their understanding of gender equality problems, and not just painting women as victims for self-interest or profits.
“Don’t invest just because it’s owned by women or run by a team of women. Look at what is the impact in certain areas because yes there are women who are suffering and oppressed, if that’s in line with what you believe in. It has to align with your values.”
