Today, we continue our series of episodes focused on female founders in Indonesia. Hosted by Helen Wong, Managing Partner at AC Ventures, we are joined by Shox Rumahan's Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Vyani Manao, and Aryani Prabowo, the startup's new Chief Financial Officer. The female-led company is the only social commerce firm that uses a B2C model to sell high-ticket items of US$300 or more to underbanked consumers in rural Indonesia via hyperlocal agents. 

On a societal level, Shox Rumahan is making a name for itself by bolstering the livelihoods of its female agents nationwide. Agents who join Shox Rumahan - overwhelmingly women spread across Indonesia's villages and remote areas - stand to multiply their current earnings by up to 20x. The platform is a game changer in the context of female entrepreneurship, as Shox Rumahan's agents outside the capital city are able to pull in 300% of the average full-time wage in Jakarta. 

In this episode, Helen, Vyani, and Aryani unpack Shox Rumahan's impressive revenue metrics and how the company will soon be profitable, even during an economic downcycle. They also explore what it means to be a woman in venture capital, social commerce, and micro-entrepreneurship, as well as how to create a virtuous cycle to develop all three frontiers.   

In official support for gender equality in the workplace, AC Ventures has formally committed to the International Finance Corporation’s Invest2Equal program, as well as the United Nations Women’s Empowerment Principles and its Principles for Responsible Investment.