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Founders-turned-funders augment RI start-up ecosystem
Founders of homegrown start-ups are increasingly taking on investor roles in early-stage ventures in a sign that Indonesia's startup ecosystem is maturing.
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Homegrown startup founders are increasingly taking on investor roles in early-stage ventures due to Indonesia's maturing startup ecosystem. (Shutterstock/File)
F
ounders of homegrown start-ups are increasingly taking on investor roles in early-stage ventures in a sign that Indonesia's start-up ecosystem is maturing.
Examples are Edward Tirtanata and James Prananto of Kenangan Brand, who cofounded investment firm Kopital Network, as well as Achmad Zaky of Bukalapak, who became a founding partner in Init6, and Hendra Kwik of Payfazz, who is invested in Number Capital.
“The emergence of local venture capital firms and the growth of the start-up ecosystem have created opportunities for experienced entrepreneurs to become investor-operators and contribute their knowledge and networks to support the next generation of start-ups,” Kanta Nandana, program director at early-stage funder Antler Indonesia, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
Some start-up founders embark on their funding journey as angel investors, either alone or joining forces to pool funds with other angels. In either case, aside from funds, they are able to leverage their own experience to provide guidance and support for start-ups, especially those that are in their early days.
Having been on the other side of the table, founders-turned-funders “can think back to their previous interactions with investors back in the day and model their own behavior as investors on that,” said the gatekeeper of angel investment platform Kopital Network, Fandy Cendrajaya.
Kopital Network was born out of the desire of tech executives to guide new founders through crisis and calamity in the early stages.
Fandy explained the full cycle of the start-up ecosystem, starting from employee turning operator turning founder turning funder: “Like a flywheel effect, [founders] will give it back to the ecosystem, to the community, and just impart that knowledge they have learned.”
