Tag: entrepreneur

Sunarni Widyastuti of Repong Indonesia

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Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Sunarni Widyastuti. I am from Repong Indonesia, a social enterprise that provides environmental services for tourism within the state forest area in Lampung, as well as agro-tourism outside of the forest area. Our aim is to assist the forest farmers in the area, to be less dependent on forest resources, and thus to prevent further destruction to the forestlands. By finding alternative sources of income for local people and their economy, we are able to maintain the sustainability of the forest, protect its biodiversity, and increase the animal population. For example, we help locals manufacture products made from non-wood materials such as honey, handicrafts from bamboo, etc.

We want to enhance environmental awareness as well as nurture the ecosystem balance and sustainability of the lives of the people surrounding the region through business. Business is one of the keys to ensuring environmental preservation – that the environment is continually maintained. We hope to increase the population of wild animals and maintain harmony within the community. That is our hope.

What motivated you to work for this enterprise?

First, because we have a vision to maintain the balance of the forest ecosystem and prevent it from being exploited. Secondly, in doing so, the local community needs to find new ways of earning a living. Thus by using a tour permit, people are able to sell forest resources legally while contributing to the local economy. Previously, much of the forest area was deemed illegal for extracting resources whereas now farmers can benefit from the forests and maintain a livelihood. Our priority is within the state forest region as well as outside this area.

We also strive to protect the animal population. At the moment, we have a conservation program for animals prone to extinction such as the rhinoceros as well as a variety of bird species. Visitors are also invited to plant trees together to promote forest regrowth from forest fires. We are also experiencing human conflicts with elephants within the forest. In order to be a sustainable business, we have to make sure that people are not dependent on the forest, and that the animals are also not disturbed.

What particular challenges have you faced thus far?

At the moment, we are having difficulties with sustaining our projects financially over a longer period of time. We try to fundraise, however, and have received a considerable amount of local government grants and village funds. However this is still not yet optimal, so the role of our NGO is to provide intensive assistance to the local community in the case that the government has not been able to meet our financial demands.

How do you go about overcoming these obstacles?

 

Generally, we rely on the sharing of community resources and mutual cooperation. For example, we reach out to local governments and districts when we are urgently short on funding. After that, we look to NGOs such as WWF and WCS. And if there are still shortcomings, we look for more donors until we fulfil our needs. Indeed, it is not sustainable, so it is our role as an NGO to network and attend forums on entrepreneurship for example, to improve our business. Either way it is not easy, but urgent matters can always be overcome. We have had 20 years of experience in this field, and the community has been able to handle business independently.

What can we do to help this cause?

The development of our enterprise is something we need to prioritize at the moment. Particularly in terms of the sustainability and scalability of it. Both of these aspects are important as our business does in fact need diversification so that it can become attractive to buyers and investors. Because of the nature of services, there needs to be some sort of business diversification which is why we offer some tour packages. So the packages may have things to diversify. Secondly, sustainable practices needs to be implemented to ensure our the preservation of the forest and our future.

 

Siti Fuadilla Alchumaira: Co-Founder of Empowomen

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Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Siti Fuadilla Alchumaira. I am the co-founder of a women’s community initiative in Lampung called Empowomen. It is a forum which aims to develop the potential of young women in Lampung and increase women’s leadership and participation in society. We select women to participate in a four-month program involving activities that focus on capacity building, project management and team building, with a final stage of implementing a social project that targets local women as beneficiaries. Our hope is that our female participants can develop these skills to use for their careers and become leaders who can mobilize the community to solve existing social problems within our society.

What inspired you to build this initiative?

First, I’ll give some context about the gender dynamics in Lampung. Currently, there are only 4 women leaders out of 40 community leaders in Lampung, while only 23% of parliament is represented by women. For these reasons, as well as the high rates of violence against women in Lampung, we decided to invest in women. If we can raise the standard of women leaders within the community, then the awareness and sensitivity to solve issues related to women will inevitably increase.

What sorts of issues do women currently face in Lampung?

In Lampung itself, there is still limited support and access to general information about the options that women have. We are not just talking about women’s access to information or developments in Jakarta or Java, as we are still quite far away from that reality. Here, women’s aspirations are still limited to domestic roles which is a mindset we want to change. We strive to raise awareness and lead by example to inspire women to do anything they can with their skills and abilities. We are not limited by our gender and should be able to build a career in whatever field we choose.

What sorts of challenges have you faced so far?

Until now, we still rely on grants and have not been focused on monetising our project as we are currently focused on raising awareness and capacity building. We are still unsure about the kinds of products or services that we can develop to monetize and thus support the sustainability of Empowomen. These are the strategies we need to work on moving forward.

How do you stay motivated despite facing difficulties?

We are grateful that accessibility is increasing and we are becoming more aware about the importance of funding in supporting the sustainability of our project. Perhaps one thing that keeps us going is the fact that we are certain about the ‘why’. Why are we doing this? Because we believe in the benefits of our project, and feel continuously encouraged and humbled by the mentorship we have received thus far, which has allowed us to increase our own capacity. The main thing is to keep learning, keep trying, and if it fails, just try again.

What can we do to help as a society?

Naturally, most of our team is female, but we also recognize the important role of men in achieving our vision. One of our values ​​is inclusiveness, and so both men and women are invited to support our initiative and the societal issues that affect women more generally.

 

Kartini Igirisa: Founder of UD Kartini Cakalang

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Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Kartini Igirisa. I am the founder of UD Kartini Cakalang. I started my business in 2008, producing processed fish products such as a variety of sambal (chili sauce).

What was your background previously and how did you come to establishing your own business?

At that time, in 2010, I was going through family problems. I split from my husband and the household, so needed to start earning an income. I have been running my business as a single parent up until now. When I started, we only had one product which was abon cakalang (fish floss). Now there are approximately 7 products, including sambal tuna, sambal teri and various other sambal varieties.

So far, what sorts of challenges do you face in managing your business?

There are competitors who sell their products below the market rate which is worrying for me. We aim to ensure that the quality of our products is not compromised, which means that the price is is raised accordingly. Naturally, when new players enter the market, they automatically look for price competitiveness. All our processing is still done manually.

How do you fundraise?

Until now, I’ve relied on bank loans entirely as the interest rates are very low. However, I only borrow as much as I need.

Can you share any of your experiences as a women entrepreneur?

Firstly, the opportunities are definitely limited living outside of the city. Not having a spouse makes things a bit harder as a single parent, but that’s okay. It does not limit my career. I am still confident, and continue to keep trying because I have to make a living and provide for my children.

I employ 3 women who work on processing, who are all single parents. My vision is to empower women within my community who need an income. Looking for work these day is also difficult, as many employers requires a minimum, level of schooling. So for people who do not have an education, it’s hard to provide daily food for the family. By hiring these people we are helping them achieve financial stability. I am particularly passionate in helping them because I know how hard it is being a single parent.

Why is the issue of women’s empowerment important to you?

I think women should have their own financial freedom, and be able to produce something that can earn themselves an income. I try to promote positive thinking for my female friends who are hoping to open their own business.

In the long term, what do you hope for your business?

I hope that my products can reach the wider domestic Indonesian market, and be in shops all over the archipelago. The goal is to one day have my own factory in Manado.

 

Rizkia Meutia Putri – Community Leader in Lampung

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Tell us about yourself.

My name is Rizkia Meutia Putri. I am the co-founder of a community group called Jalan Inovasi Sosial (JANIS). JANIS is a social community that engages in social empowerment and community building with a particular focus on innovation. We aim to raise awareness about economic growth, education and environmental issues within the surrounding community in Lampung. One of the projects we have worked on is empowering the tourism industry within Kunjir village, which is located in South Lampung. Here, we see a lot of potential to develop tourism; however public awareness remains low. So, we decided to go to the village and help the local community to realize and develop that potential.

What is the story behind your initiative?

In Kunjir, there is an island called Pulau Mengkudu. It is one of the icons of Lampung, but unfortunately is not marketed very well and thus attracts few visitors. At the start, there were only 10 to 15 visitors per week, but after we conducted a few trips which aimed to empower and educate about the economic development of the community, the condition slowly improved. In the end, we were able to reach over 1000 visitors per month. From there, awareness about the environment also started to increase with people throwing garbage in the correct place. Before, not many of the local people worked; now, various business have opened there as well as tourist guard posts which has resulted in an increase of income for the community from 2 to 3 million rupiah per month from the money collected at each post.

This community has been running for 3 years. It is still sustainable as a tourist village and we still follow up until now. We want to innovate again in the village to attract more tourists to come back.

What are your current strategies to grow?

We are continually building on our tourism strategy to add attractions that can draw tourists back to the area. For instance, at the moment we are looking into agricultural tourism and hydroponics as points of attraction. This is the beauty of agriculture, because housewives and mothers can not only open eateries but also help create new attractions with visual appeal.

We also accompany youth. They are very creative. One of the youths crafted a local good that tourists ended up buying as souvenirs. From there, we realized that we need funding. So to fill in what is missing in our requirements and execution, we sought out support. Why walk alone if we can walk together? We are not alone because many communities and local partners support us. Our team really has a sincere intention and vision to give value to our community.

If we want to seek funding, then we must have a mature concept. At the moment, we are in the process of developing our concept again in the case that there are potential investors or donors who want to support the program. It is important that we refine our concept in order to attract more people.

As a woman founder, what barriers do you experience?

As a woman, your support network is really only the close friends around you because woman still get underestimated. Even for women who are aware of their own potential, it can still be hard. But as long as we can manage these feelings, it will challenge us and it will make us stronger.

How do you overcome challenges and stay motivated?

We recognize that our initiative is useful to others and that there are still people that can benefit from our efforts. If there is something or someone that stands in your way or undermines you, don’t focus on it. I chose to focus on the 1,000 people and the village community who benefits from our services. Just keep going.

Ria Pratiwi: WIZEL Project

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ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Please explain a little about your efforts.

My name is Ria Pratiwi and I run WIZEL Project. I recycle used jeans and use them as materials to make bags or pencil cases. Suppose I can market these products online and offline; I plan to save 10% of the profits.  The funds saved will be used for sewing training for unskilled mothers that only work at home — the housewives. I hope that in the future, through the training, they will be able to earn extra income to support their households and learn new skills.  They will not only be able to sew bags, but also clothes. However at present, I have difficulties in marketing the product despite having successfully created a good prototype.

What makes you build this business?

First of all, I could not find good and affordable products made of denim, particularly bags. I like products made of denim; it’s a good, strong and long lasting material. But it was hard to find a denim bag that isn’t too expensive.

Secondly, environmental issues. Nowadays, most people wear jeans and store them away  because they do not know where to throw them away. Many choose to cut their jeans or tear them apart. In my opinion, the usage is not optimized and it is probably better if we recycle them, convert them into something useful, and therefore give to people in need. Furthermore, I saw a problem within my own circle: my aunt is a housewife who does not work, but she has the ability to produce if only she was empowered. I wondered, “Why can’t I empower her and possibly other mothers later so they can be productive, gain skills, and earn more?”

What’s your fundraising strategy? How are you running?

At present, I am running on zero external funding. I collect jeans as donations from friends who do not want to wear these jeans any longer.  Then, I recycle them into bags. Currently the problem is mostly in financing the cost of the sewing machines. In the future I want to train more mothers and housewives, so we will need more tools that can support this program.

I will continue to look for access to funds because sewing machines are needed.  At some point, not all of the materials would be from donations. We may buy denim in rolls so that we can produce bags from both new and recycled materials. I intend for the recycling program to continue to exist.

What are some challenges you encounter in your business?

The challenge is getting these housewives to understand the upside of being a participant in this project. They need to be aware that they could help their families by having additional income. If they can produce the bags well, we can help them market them and sell them.

As a female entrepreneur, do you see any challenges in developing your business?

I am female and many investors are usually men. First of all, I am worried that they will not pay attention to me because I am a female. They probably question my ability since I am female and they might think that women can’t do something like this. I worry about these things when I meet prospective investors.

So this stereotype still exists?

Currently in Lampung communities, this stereotype still exists. In better educated communities, such beliefs have probably waned as they understand that women also have the potential and are capable.

How will WIZEL Project create impact?

First, I want to promote Sustainable Development Goal 12 of sustainable consumption and production by ensuring continuous consumption and production patterns. We as a society consume and buy clothes like jeans, but do not know how to recycle or reproduce.

Secondly, I can also create economic growth for these housewives I work with. 10% of the profit saved from every purchase will fund the continuous training.  I also plan to donate some of the bags to street children, orphanages or children who need school bags and pencil boxes for school. Hopefully by providing these basic needs, we can help them stay motivated to study and attend school.

Suriana: Founder of Lyvia

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ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Suriana from Lyvia. We make a variety of fish-based specialty sambal from Manado. Not only do we make sambal, but also abon (fish floss), which we sell in supermarkets such as Carrefour, Indomart, local supermarkets as well as souvenir shops.

What made you start this business?

I used to be a housewife, but saw that in Manado there is a need to create jobs for women. We try to make products in fish processing because there is such an abundance of fish in Manado. Most of our workers are housewives because their husbands’ salary is not enough; they usually help the family business with work. At the moment we have three workers, including myself, making sambal in the house.

What challenges do you see in women’s society in your area?

Most women are left by their husbands, and some have do not have a job. We want to empower them to make money. In most cases the husband’s salary is not enough for their lifestyles, so they work. For my future mission, I want to open a gift shop. We want to empower mothers to be able to produce their own products and sell in the store. That’s my mission ahead.

What are some fundraising obstacles you’ve faced?

Because we spend most of our money on renting the workplace, I have difficulties with financing the main production. Some of my friends also want to help with production, but have limited time so only help with what they can. I hope to increase production, but also need to prioritize fundraising.

Have you been running for a long time?

It’s been four years. We’ve been in operation since 2014, but at that time monthly sales were only at most 20-30 bottles. Now in 2018, we sell 1000 bottles per month. We want to raise our target again and expand our marketing network. The only constraint for us is our size. At the moment, we are still small-scale, although we have worked with the team at Alibaba. One of our obstacles is that we don’t have a BPOM license. Applying to BPOM is very expensive, and you must have a kitchen dedicated solely to production. As a result, the production kitchen and private kitchen needs to be differentiated. So our production is still conducted in my house — a kind of home industry.

What aspects do you feel you need help?

We want coaching for how we can prepare our products to reach the international market. In addition, our packaging is not yet refined to compete with international brands.

As a woman entrepreneur, do you face specific challenges in developing your enterprise?

Yes certainly, because our model is limited and I am solely in charge of managing the business. Besides being helped by one or two people, we have limited time for production. We must seek funding for both the production machinery and for a production factory.

Why is the empowerment of women important to you?

An example are a few of my friends; they are unmotivated and confused about what to do with their time. I started this business to help them become more productive and not feel burdened by their various problems. I want to teach them how we as women and housewives can be productive and engage in wage work while still taking care of the house.

 

Dwi Siti Sundari: Co-Founder of D’Harvest

Posted on | by angin

ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Dwi Siti Sundari and I am the co-founder of D’Harvest, along with my husband. My business has been engaged in local snacks for about 3 years in the Tomohon area, in North Sulawesi. We utilize local crops such as goroho bananas that is available only in Sulawesi and develop them into banana chips that have a longer shelf life. We also produce snacks made of sweet potatoes, corn and beans for local souvenirs.

Do you have a plantation, too?

I do not, but there are an abundance of bananas in this region, so I had a thought: if we sell bananas as raw materials, it will have a low value and low shelf life, but if it’s a processed bananas, it has up to 6 months of shelf life. We are mostly housewives, so we work as a collective to process these bananas in our respective kitchen, then we will gather together to do the packaging process. We do this in our leisure time, after we are done taking care of our households.

What was your previous work, and what made you want to start this business?

Previously I worked full time at church while looking to hone my skills. I used to just be in the kitchen as a housewife, baking, and so on. We take orders for small events, as well as larger ones for Christmas or other special events. Then I started to sell my products, but with business development services from the government, I ventured to develop the products, apply for P-IRT (food production licensing), so that my products could be marketed to supermarkets and modern markets.

What kind of challenges did you encounter on your entrepreneurial journey?

We have so many requests (for the products). The ability to fulfill the demand is sometimes lacking because we do not have the proper technology and machinery. Up until now, we only used manual equipment. Someone offered us to supply our products in Maluku and Papua regions, but we were not able to take the chance as we lack labour and machinery inputs,  even after our neighbors came and helped us.

There is high demand, but many of our orders cannot be fulfilled because our equipment remains manual. So, on average we sell 15 or 20 units. It is not a large sum, because we are limited in terms of production and marketing.

Have you tried to take a loan from the bank?

We’ve never before gotten funds from banks because there are many requirements and constraints, and so we have not thought about getting it from there. I don’t think I can afford to qualify; when there is a guarantee we have the money, but it is difficult to gain the necessary permission that sometimes makes it difficult for us.

Besides fundraising, what other needs does your company face?

More on the business development services, especially in technical skills. We want to grow bigger so that we can employ more people, and thus develop newer and bigger food ideas. However, we need knowledge and training — not just capital.

How is the issue of women’s empowerment important to you?

Currently, I listen to a lot of women, including my own employees. If they do not work and earn money, their household incomes are not enough — their husbands are away, working as drivers or manual laborers. The women have to find additional incomes for their children’s school fees. They cannot even afford their own needs if they do not have jobs. On the other hand, they do not qualify for most jobs like clerk jobs or storekeepers due to age restrictions.

It is because of what I see around me that I want to help. I do so by giving knowledge; in addition to cultivation, we provide craft lessons so that even if a woman is still living at home, she can still receive a little salary and be productive.

 

Vanessa Hendriadi Li: CEO & Co-Founder of Go-Rework Coworking Space

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Tell us a bit about yourself.

I’m Vanessa Hendriadi Li, and I’m CEO and co-founder of Go-Rework Coworking Space.

You’ve had extensive experience working in IT, marketing, finance and you also have a background in chemical engineering. How did you come to starting your own co-working space?

Even though I have a technical background, I have always loved connecting with people and connecting people together as well. Ever since I was a teenager, I have been passionately involved in different student organizations, something which I carried towards my adult life. Even outside of work and business school, I found myself either being involved in different clubs or even starting one. So I have a huge passion for community building.

On the professional side, when I came back to Indonesia, I was in charge of the market expansion of my family business back then. Part of it was finding real estates, finding new locations, understanding markets in a new location as well. So, because of that, I found that building a co-working space and platform is a great combination of both my knowledge and expertise, my experience in real estate and my passion for community building. When I started Rework, I found that is what I really wanted to do and is what I am passionate about.

Co-working spaces in Jakarta are really starting to boom. Just recently, Rework merged with GoWork to become Go-Rework – are co-working spaces the future of work?

In a lot of mature markets, you see that more and more companies, not just startups, but also corporates are embracing this new working environment. Because technology has changed everything – the way we live, and the way we work. I remember even a decade ago, when I was living in the States, more than 95% of people do the 9-5 and when they come home from work, that was it. These days when we wake up, we check our WhatsApp, we check our emails, and our social media. Everywhere we go, when we are stuck in traffic or whatnot, we are able to work almost anywhere and at anytime. The fact that vast majority of work spaces look the same as they did decades ago is really screaming for disruption. So I believe that this is how people will work in the near future. Co-working spaces will enhance collaboration, it enhances learning and networking, and integrates more live and play. So that is what we are trying to build in Indonesia.

In terms of the startup ecosystem in Indonesia, where do you see it going in the next 10 years?

I think startups are growing very rapidly in Indonesia. The growth of SMEs in Indonesia is the largest and fastest-growing in the Southeast Asian region. The timing as well is great because right now more than 70% of people are in the workforce (below 35 years ago) which means that in the next decade most of them will be in the workforce. Technology adoption is getting much easier and faster. My husband used to work in China for 6 years and we moved back to Indonesia 5 years ago. When we got here, he realized that Indonesia is just like China when he arrived. I think the demographic and profile is very similar in terms of the size of the market and also the fast adoption of the internet. So I think that the growth of startups will still continue, now we just need to ensure that the quality is there. Education is very important to ensuring the country gives birth to great quality companies.

In terms of being a woman in this startup space, have you encountered any obstacles in your career?

I think my biggest challenge now is time. It’s about balancing work and family, especially being a mother of two young children. I have a 4.5 and 3 year old, and I don’t feel like I spend enough time with them. I don’t know if they share the same feelings, but I wish I could spend more time with them. I see many startup founders who are still quite young and possibly single with no kids, but I also have the advantage of experience. Because I have a lot more limited time, I’m forced to be creative and learn how to prioritise things well. That’s my challenge in being a woman entrepreneur.

In terms of challenges in the market, I think it’s more of a benefit than barrier at least in my experience, as there aren’t as many female entrepreneurs. It’s about proving to yourself that you can do everything, and believing that being a woman is not a limitation. Then, people will start to notice, and the market will start to notice you.

Women tend to have a slightly stronger ability to read people and understand feelings by connecting with people, not just on the head but also on the heart. So even dealing with my team, I spend a lot of time with them not only in trying to reach targets but I also put a lot of time and understanding into coaching my team members. I think that’s very important. As a founder, not spending enough time communicating with your team, is one of the culprits of not being able to grow sustainably because I believe that it’s the people in the team that creates the business and grows the company.

Does being a leader come naturally to you?

Like I said, I love connecting with people, because of my interests and because of my belief that everyone is interesting and has a story to tell. So I like to coach my team, of course I have to balance my time as well – with fundraising, with deliveries that we need to present to investors, as well as the recent merge. We have an aggressive plan ahead for the company, however balancing that with good team communication is crucial.

If you could tell young entrepreneurs one piece of advice what would it be?

Don’t be afraid to chase your dream. I think we tend to be very hard on ourselves, at least I am a lot of the time, but to me making progress everyday gives me so much happiness. So it doesn’t have to be a leap, doesn’t even have to be a significant achievement everyday –  as long as you move forward everyday. Part of it is being comfortable with uncertainties. We live in a world where nothing is certain, so be comfortable with that and don’t be afraid to chase your dreams.

 

Pravitasari: Co-founder of TuneMap

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ANGIN Women’s Spotlight series seeks to showcase a diverse array of inspiring women leaders and their stories and experiences in order to shed light on the unique experiences of women in business. We hope that both men and women can gain from these shared experiences, that these stories can inspire change, and that other young girls are motivated to become leaders as well.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

My name is Pravitasari, and I am working on an application called TuneMap which is a GPS navigation app for visually impaired people who live in the city. We use crowdsourcing sites to connect visually impaired people with sighted pedestrians who will provide information about road conditions. Our aim is to empower the visually impaired community by creating safer roads to walk in, so they can lead a productive life and access proper facilities within the city. It’s about creating equal opportunity.

What was your background previously and how did the idea come about for TuneMap?

Firstly, I am an avid pedestrian who likes to walk a lot. As a sighted person, I feel uncomfortable walking on the existing pavements in Indonesia. At university I also studied psychology, which helped me better empathise with people who are different from me. If walking around the city was not accessible to sighted people, what would it be like for people who cannot see?

So I created Tunemap and tried to get it up and running with the support of some friends. We entered a UNDP competition, and through that, we were lucky enough to get connected with the largest visually impaired community in Indonesia who we work closely with in developing this project. We also work with UN volunteers in Indonesia who connect us with Indorelawan and also with the Ministry of Youth and Sports (MENPORA). We started with a societal mission, now we are trying to sustain this idea by also looking for funding opportunities to monetise our enterprise.

As a startup, what have been the biggest challenges and how do you overcome them?

It has been quite difficult finding fundraising such as equity, because we are focused on a very niche market and it is hard to find investors who want to invest in this market. That’s the challenge we are facing, but we are so glad for the grants we have received, which have allowed us to come up with the initial product, test it, and then validate it to the related stakeholders, to the users and to the beneficiaries – the visually impaired people. So the grants have helped a lot, but we know that we cannot rely on them in the long run.

the most important thing is to keep going. While fundraising is not an easy process, me and my team are clear about the why – why we want to do what we do. That keeps us going. We face so many failures and rejections. At least this year we prove that we can keep going and keep achieving one at a time.

What do you hope to achieve with your application?

We have two goals, that is, creating an inclusive and data-driven city. First and foremost, our focus is to empower visually impaired communities and provide sidewalks that are comfortable for them to walk on. After that, the benefits will flow to the rest of the community. The thing is, the government doesn’t know which areas to provide proper pedestrian footpaths and also who will use it. They have created pedestrian paths sporadically, without the use of data. So, we at Tunemap, are trying to solve that problem by using the data that is collected by the pedestrians to promote walkability in the city. Places like Jakarta but specifically Bandung, still have that walking culture. That’s why we started in Bandung, because a lot of people are still walking. Even if one person walks, they can make up to 20-30 report which is a lot of data collected already.

Being a woman co-founder in this startup ecosystem, have you had any particular difficulties dealing with gender dynamics?

I’m grateful that I have a team that is very supportive. Our co-founder is also a woman and our tech team is led by a man, and he is fine being led by two women. As women, we try to prove that nothing is different in leading. There may be limited interaction between us and the investors so we don’t know yet the ecosystem in the investor landscape towards women founders, but internally we have no issues with that. We are contacting with the stakeholders are fine with that, they will also be challenged coming from it, we are trying to figure out how to tackle it. Because I am also married, my challenge is how to balance my role as a leader in this enterprise and my role as a wife. So the challenges as a woman founder, requires time and effort in the workplace, so the challenges is between balancing the role, for me so far so good. The most important thing is communicating with your partner, so that we can find a way. As women leaders I think we should not lower our expectations of what we can achieve just because we’re women.

Do you have an tips on leadership?

I’m not a natural leader – so I need to read widely and observe from other people. I think for women and people in general who think they are not able to lead, don’t feel down, because everyone can lead. Just try to figure out what your weaknesses are, focus on your strengths, and where should you improve. Don’t be afraid to ask for help – either from your co-founders, teammates, or friends and family. As women leaders, we should not lower our expectations of what we can achieve just because we are women.

Do you have any female role models?

Sheryl Sandberg, of course. Through her book I realized that women leaders do have their own challenges but it should not hinder them to become a leader. Apart from that, I learned how to compromise with our partner without having to lower expectations on our own career aspirations.

What do you love about your work?

Since I was a child, my parents would tell me that the most important thing in life is how you can impact other people. So those values have been instilled in me from a really early age, they are what keep me going everyday knowing that our application is making a difference.

 

[UPCOMING EVENT] IDX Startups #GoPublic

Ketika membangun startup, founder sudah harus memiliki rencana jangka panjang bagi bisnisnya. Salah salah hal yang harus direncanakan adalah exit strategy.
Exit strategy yang paling umum ditempuh yaitu merger and acquisition (M&A) dan Initial Public Offering (IPO). WhatsApp adalah contoh perusahaan global yang memilih jalur M&A, sementara Alibaba dan Facebook memutuskan untuk go IPO.
Di Indonesia sendiri, kita sudah mendengar beberapa startup teknologi diakuisisi oleh perusahaan lebih besar, seperti baru-baru ini Tiket.com oleh Blibli.com dan Midtrans oleh GO-JEK. Tahun lalu, Kioson dan MCash resmi mencatatkan saham perdana mereka di Bursa Efek Indonesia (BEI).
IPO yang dilakukan oleh kedua startup ini bisa dibilang sukses, dengan permintaan saham lumayan tinggi dari investor. Harga saham mereka pun naik jauh dari harga patok awal.
Apa saja hal yang harus dipersiapkan jika startup ingin go public? Bagaimana proses pencatatan saham perdana di BEI?
Bursa Efek Indonesia, Kresna Securities dan BLOCK71 Jakarta mengajak para founder startup untuk mengikuti sesi mengenai “Startups #GoPublic”. Adapun topik yang akan dibahas yaitu:

  • IPO Overview and Regulation oleh perwakilan BEI
  • Pre-IPO Process and Business Valuation for Startup Company oleh Octavianus Budiyanto, President Direktur Kresna Securities
  • Panel discussion tentang IPO success story, menghadirkan Martin Suharlie, CEO of MCash, perwakilan BEI dan Octavianus Budiyanto, President Director Kresna Securities. Panel discussion ini akan dimoderatori oleh Adrian Lim, Direktur BLOCK71 Jakarta

To RSVP, click HERE!