Two women who founded and run start-ups have carved their own paths in making it in the male-dominated tech industry.
he co-founder and COO of Tinkerlust, a growing marketplace for pre-loved fashion items, Aliya Tjakraamidjaja has struggled her share to keep the business afloat since the online platform was set up in mid-2015.
“We keep reminding people that Tinkerlust is not merely a fashion business. We are a tech company,” said Aliya.
Dealing with system crashes, employee turnovers, a limited budget and the need to gain traction while maintaining steady growth were all in day’s work.
“As a bank employee for 10 years and another year of working as a consultant for foreign tech start-ups wanting to operate in Indonesia, I never thought I'd end up running a start-up myself. It’s a fluctuating business with ups and downs that require us to grow a thick skin,” she said.
Aliya shared her experience at "Female Founders: Behind Their Stories", a public discussion held on Nov. 12 as a satellite event of Social Media Week 2019 at @america in Pacific Place, Central Jakarta.
The other speaker was Aulia Halimatussadiah, the co-founder and CMO of Storial.co, an internet protocol (IP)-based platform for writers seeking an online medium to publish their work.
An IT graduate with coding skills and a passion for books, Aulia established an online bookstore in 2007 when tech start-ups were not yet a thing in Indonesia, and then expanded it in 2010.
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