Gita Prihanto is the COO of Flip, an innovator and pioneer company in Indonesia’s financial technology space, with now more than 10 million users across the country and beyond doing all types of money transfers from remittances to invoices for micropreneurs. She goes on call with us to share how she has helped the company mature in its approach to organizational prioritization, product scaling, and committing to day-one values, with learnings for any entrepreneur or leader managing a growing organization.

Check out our previous call with Rafi Putra Arriyan, CEO and Co-Founder of Flip

Transcript | YouTube

Timestamps

(01:19) Why Gita Became COO of Flip: Market Opportunity and Founder Mindset;

(04:38) 1 to 10, 0 to 1, and 1: Numbers to Describe the COO Role at Flip;

(08:11) Unpacking the Flip Ecosystem: Remittances, New Prime Segment, and Micropreneurs;

(12:38) The Art of Organizational Prioritization;

(19:47) The Former-Grab exec, Flip COO Indonesian Angel Synergies;

(27:46) The Time for Innovation in Monetization;

(28:33) #MinuteMasterclass: Risk Management 101 for Fintechs;

(31:43) #RapidFireRound;

About our guest

Gita Prihanto is the COO of Flip. She has had more than a decade career in tech consulting and all that. She started out in McKinsey, then went on to become Senior Director of Indonesia at Grab (Two-Wheel Transport), and then in 2021 she joined Flip. She's also an angel investor, and part of the global XA network.

Music:

Neo Soul Hip Hop by Infraction

Trash Taste Background Music (Extended)

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

When it comes to agritech, what often comes to mind is the farmer or producer of the goods, as well as the end-consumer and the process of shortening the journey from farm to table. But industries like Indonesian fisheries are more than just about the fishermen or the end-consumers -- there is an entire, complex supply chain of businesses delivering, storing, and processing fishery products from their raw material state to markets across the globe. We go on call with returning guest Bayu Anggara, CEO and Co-Founder of FishLog, to talk about Indonesia’s fisheries supply chain (US$14B in captured fish and aquaculture) and the importance of redefining standards (see their recently launched real-time marketplace), capital access, and infrastructure access to unlock its potential in the global economy (US$6B in exports).

Check out our first call with Bayu last year! While we focused more on local distribution and broad industry pain points last year, this year we dive deeper into supply chain pain points (e.g., financing, logistics for cold storage) and improving the industries' global export growth.

Check out FishLog's 2022 impact report!

Transcript | YouTube

(00:34) FishLog’s 2022 in 3 numbers;

(01:53) Macro (Global Exports) and Micro (Inflation) Drivers for Indonesia Fisheries;

(12:11) The Iron Triangle of Fisheries: Increasing Supply Chain Utility through Asset-Light Cold Chain Enablement, Financing Support, and Industry Standardization;

(16:20) FishLog’s Stories of Sustainable Impact;

(21:46) Scaling an Organization for Indonesian Fisheries;

(26:11) #MinuteMasterclass: Leveraging data, human capital, and standards of government and national institutions;

(28:50) #RapidFireRound;

About our guest

Bayu Anggara is the CEO and co-founder of Indonesian B2B fisheries cold chain platform FishLog. Prior to FishLog, he was in the seafood products and trading food business and has had years of experience in the local fisheries industry. He graduated from Bogor Agricultural University with a Bachelors' in Fisheries and Marine Technology.

Music:

Neo Soul Hip Hop by Infraction

Trash Taste Background Music (Extended)

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

What makes a pivot meaningful for a business? Pivots are part and parcel of a startup’s journey but some are more effective than others. Go behind the scenes of how a business evolved by following the data and their customers in this call with Bakool founders Ivan Darmawan (CEO) and Stephanie Wongsoredjo (COO). Not only do they share learnings from their company’s pivot from quick commerce to social commerce for fresh produce, but how their current approach is increasing household productivity for tier-two and tier-three cities in Indonesia. More recently Bakool announced raising an undisclosed seed round from Kleiner Perkins, Goodwater, Insignia Ventures, Global Brain, former minister of Indonesia Mari Elka Pangestu, and others.

Timestamps

(00:43) Ivan and Stephanie introduce themselves;

(03:19) What’s in a Pivot: How Radius evolved into Bakool;

(05:56) Perks of Building Outside of Tier-One Cities (Competition, Market Opportunity, Margins);

(08:55) How Group Buying for Fresh Produce Increases Household Productivity;

(10:36) How Data Makes Pivots Meaningful;

(14:00) #MinuteMasterclass: Making Meaningful Pivots;

(15:40) #RapidFireRound;

Ivan Darmawan and Stephanie Wongsoredjo have been friends for more than 15 years. They went to junior high school and studied abroad together and came back here to Indonesia with one vision: increasing the productivity of rural Indonesia. Both of their families came from tier-two cities, so they know how painful it is for people living in these areas to buy their grocery needs, and saw that they could improve the productivity of these people and also improve their quality of life.

Ivan Darmawan is the CEO of Bakool. Ivan previously graduated from the University of Southern California with a major in Industrial and Systems Engineering, with a focus on supply chain and logistics management. He also has 15 plus years of experience in farming, retail and tech, and previously worked in Southeast Asia unicorns handling the growth of three different markets.

Stephanie Wongsoredjo is the COO of Bakool. graduated from UC Berkeley Haas School of Business. Growing up she had been helping her family retail businesses for more than 15 years. They had been doing this family business focusing on rural areas across Indonesia, managing more than 150 retail stores. She used to manage and expand large-scale teams and operations and also experienced running a huge supply chain across Indonesia.

Music:

Neo Soul Hip Hop by Infraction

Trash Taste Background Music (Extended)

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

At the turn of the millennium, a Chinese American still fresh into his career and working at the time for the San Francisco County made a fateful decision to fly to Hangzhou and become the first American to join a small company of around 50 other people to build a then little known business marketplace called Alibaba.com.

More than twenty years later, Brian Wong, former longtime executive, assistant to Jack Ma, and founder of the Alibaba Global Initiatives division and executive director of Alibaba Global Leadership Academy, pens learnings from his tenure at the global technology group and how it has impacted his own worldview and life as an entrepreneur and investor in the book: Tao of Alibaba.

In this call, Brian not only gives a rundown of the book, but also shares how the management ethos and principles of Alibaba have been applied and can apply to a variety of areas of leadership and life, from crisis management to corporate governance, hiring leaders to writing a book.

Transcript

Timestamps

(01:47) Tao of Alibaba: The TLDR Version;

The Tao of Alibaba in Action:

(07:38) in Crisis Management;

(11:12) in Organizational Maturity, Financial Discipline, and Corporate Governance;

(17:39) in Building in SEA vs China;

(21:23) in Leadership Hiring;

(25:08) in Building in Bear Markets;

(27:23) in Writing a Book;

(29:39) in ESG (#MinuteMasterclass);

(32:31) #RapidFireRound;

Brian A. Wong is a Chinese American entrepreneur and investor. He was the first American and only the fifty-second employee to join Alibaba Group, where he contributed to the company’s early globalization efforts and served as Jack Ma’s special assistant for international affairs. During his sixteen-year tenure, Wong helped expand Alibaba’s business presence in the US, Europe, India and Asia, established the Alibaba Global Initiatives (AGI) division and was the founder and executive director of the Alibaba Global Leadership Academy. Wong remains an adviser to the AGI team and regularly teaches courses on China’s digital economy and the Tao of Alibaba management principles. Wong is also founder and chairman of RADII, a digital media company.

Wong earned his bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College, a master’s certificate from the Johns Hopkins University (SAIS)–Nanjing University Center for US and China Studies, and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. He was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2015, is a China Fellow with Aspen Institute and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network and is a member of the Committee of 100. He is based in Shanghai, China.

Music:

Neo Soul Hip Hop by Infraction

Trash Taste Background Music (Extended)

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

“As a marketer, we’re not selling products, we’re selling aspirations...and creating stories," says the Chief Marketing Officer of Indonesian e-commerce enabler Shipper: Jessica Hendrawidjaja on this episode of On Call with Insignia. She shares from a global career spanning more than a decade in marketing what it means to sell aspirations. She also talks about how Shipper’s collaboration and education-focused approach to marketing is bridging innovation possibilities between legacy and e-commerce brands (with initiatives like the upcoming Legendary Brand Festival). We also talk about how her work as a marketer and angel investor is investing in entrepreneurial stories that are shaping the Indonesian economy, from those of 62 million SMEs in Indonesia to startup founders she invests in.

Learn more about the Legendary Brand Festival

Transcript

Timestamps

(01:17) From M&A hire to three years in the blink of an eye: Jess’s Shipper journey;

(03:56) What it Means to Be CMO with a Mission to Enable 62 million SMEs and Beyond;

(07:17) A Legendary Approach to Bridging Innovation Between Legacy and E-commerce Brands: The Legendary Brand Festival;

(12:17) How Offline Engagements and Events are Win-Win For Shipper and the Indonesian Economy;

(17:56) Jess the leader and angel investor;

(20:50) #MinuteMasterclass: What Early-Stage Founders and Marketers Should Keep in Mind as the Marketing Function Scales;

(22:09) #RapidFireRound;

Jessica Hendrawidjaja is the Chief Marketing Officer of Shipper. Prior to Shipper, she was co-founder and CMO of logistics startup Porter acquired by Shipper in 2020. She has had more than a decade of experience in marketing, from PwC to NIFTIT. She received a BBA from the University of Washington and a Bachelor in International Marketing from Harvard University. She is also an angel investor.

Video Clips:

Dialog Inspirasi Pahlawan Ekonomi: Road To Legendary Brand Festival 2023 

Kolaborasi Shipper dengan Kementerian Koperasi dan Usaha Kecil Menengah

Music:

Neo Soul Hip Hop by Infraction

Trash Taste Background Music (Extended)

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

A masterclass on launching private label brands in rural Indonesia. Hardwon lessons on finding product-market fit in East Java. Stories on thriving as leaders in charge of growth and profitability for rural Indonesia’s leading social commerce platform. Welcoming you back to Season 5 of On Call with Insignia with two women in tech shaping the way everyday goods reach Indonesians, from rice to cosmetics: Aplikasi Super’s Nadira Zahiruddin, Head of Innovation Strategy, and Gisella Tjoanda, Head of Business Development. Check out open roles with Super on LinkedIn!

Join our call!

Timestamps

(01:18) Adjusting to the (Super) fast pace of a growth stage startup from consulting and banking;

(04:15) What BD has to do with expanding inorganic revenue growth and Innovation Strategy with paving the way to profitability;

(06:20) A Masterclass on Launching Private Label in Rural Indonesia (Thought Process, Learnings, and Misconceptions);

(13:26) Demands of Rural Indonesia’s Complexity (Localization and Product Customizations);

(19:37) Creating Impact (Defining Success) and Being Impacted (Un-Learnings);

(24:49) #MinuteMasterclass: Finding PMF and Monetizing in Rural Indonesia;

(29:43) #RapidFireRound;

About our guests

After graduating from Babson College, Nadira Zahiruddin started her career at BCG, then continued to lead the CEO Office and BD team at a Series A startup prior to joining Super. She has also been exposed to the FMCG industry through her family business since she was young. After looking at Super’s mission and success story in the industry, she knew she wanted to join and make a meaningful impact in growing the business.

Gisella Tjoanda graduated from Kelley School of Business in 2016. She then worked at Youtube and Whatsapp in Silicon Valley before going back to Indonesia for good. She continued her career at Citibank through the management associate program before joining Super. She is currently the head of BD at Super, and she's very excited to make a significant contribution to the company in growing the business and making a positive impact on society, especially in East Indonesia.

Music: 

Neo Soul Hip Hop by Infraction

Trash Taste Background Music (Extended)

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

In this episode, join us in the sixth and final installment of our fifth-year anniversary summit recaps where we feature fireside chats with thought leaders and founders across industries sharing their insights on various sectors and trends shaping the future of ASEANnovation.

While global macroeconomic situations have dampened venture funding, the growth-stage companies we have represented on today’s panel have managed to close major funding rounds. In this conversation, we learned how they have weathered the storm so far, what underlying opportunities they are looking to tap into, and advice they have for fellow entrepreneurs navigating today’s fundraising environment, given that, at the end of the day, they are all building to last.

Hear from Aaron Tan, CEO and Co-Founder of Southeast Asia’s leading auto retail platform Carro, Anderson Sumarli, CEO and Co-Founder of Indonesian retail investment super app Ajaib, and Hendra Kwik, CEO and Co-Founder of regional digital financial services ecosystem for businesses Fazz. The conversation was moderated by Insignia Ventures founding managing partner Yinglan Tan and took place on September 23, 2022, and both the episode and transcript have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Transcript

Timestamps

(01:42) Lessons learned and what keeps growth-stage CEOs up at night;

(11:41) Opportunities to build to last;

(15:18) One-liner on what founders need to focus on in this environment;

Music: Energetic and Upbeat Rock Background Music For Videos and Workouts

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

Join us in the fifth installment of our fifth-year anniversary summit recaps where we feature fireside chats with thought leaders and founders across industries sharing their insights on various sectors and trends shaping the future of ASEANnovation.

Historically, the rise in massive value creation in Southeast Asia’s digital economy has been mainly driven by massive funding into horizontal ecommerce, fintech and logistics platforms. Unlike the US, we haven’t seen any full-scale regional B2B enterprise plays yet. But so far, we have seen the early innings of companies targeting this segment that have all raised significant funding rounds in recent months. Why are we seeing such companies raise significant funding during this next wave of innovation in the region? Is this the right time?

We tackle these questions and more with Jianfeng Lu, Chairman and Co-Founder of pioneering voice AI solutions platform WIZ.AI, Todd Schweitzer, CEO and Co-Founder of leading open finance platform in Southeast Asia Brankas, and Theodoric Chew, CEO and Co-Founder of Asia’s leading mental healthcare company Intellect. The conversation was moderated by Shefali Dodani from Insignia Ventures’ investment team and took place on September 23, 2022 and both the episode and transcript have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Transcript

Timestamps

(01:50) Drivers of the Rise of Enterprise in Southeast Asia;

(09:42) Evolution of Voice AI Adoption By Enterprise Globally;

(13:40) Education and Expansion for Southeast Asia’s Open Finance Leader;

(18:51) Localization vs Globalization for A Leading Mental Health Care Platform;

(24:33) Illustrating Impact for Enterprise Customers;

Music: Energetic and Upbeat Rock Background Music For Videos and Workouts

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

Join us in the fourth installment of our fifth-year anniversary summit recaps! This conversation features the increasingly complex ecommerce industry in Southeast Asia, which has gone beyond the horizontal ecommerce marketplaces many are familiar with. Changing consumer preferences on top of ecommerce convenience and tech stack giving rise to a new generation of digital-first D2C brands, new forms of distribution in the post-pandemic world, and increasingly sophisticated ecommerce enablers building the tech stack and operating software for even more businesses and brands to participate in the region’s ecommerce landscape. How will ecommerce in the region mature and contribute to the growing economies of Southeast Asia, especially amidst the uncertainties around consumer spending and global supply chains?

We tackle these questions and more with QingGui Huang CEO and Founder of Thailand’s leading online beauty retailer Konvy (check out our Season 4 conversation with QingGui), Junkai Ng, CEO and Co-founder of Southeast Asia cross-border logistics tech platform Janio, and Steven Wongsoredjo, CEO and Co-founder of Indonesia social commerce platform for tier-2, tier-3, and rural cities Super. The conversation was moderated by Insignia Ventures principal Yongcheng Ong and took place on September 23, 2022 and both the episode and transcript have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Transcript

Timestamps

(01:39) Introductions;

(02:54) Maturing Southeast Asia’s Ecommerce through Social Commerce, Beauty Retail, and Shipping;

(08:38) Insights into Thailand’s Consumer Landscape;

(11:20) Opportunities and Challenges of Building a Cross-Border Logistics Platform in Southeast Asia;

(17:16) Building the Walmart of Indonesia with a Scalable Hyperlocal Supply Chain;

(22:04) How Commerce Platforms and Enablers are Unlocking Economic Impact in Southeast Asia;

Music: Energetic and Upbeat Rock Background Music For Videos and Workouts

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.

Join us in the third installment of our fifth-year anniversary summit recaps (see the first on Women in Tech and second on Web3). This third conversation features the digital finance opportunity in Southeast Asia, which, while having seen an inflection in terms of the number of fintech startups being funded in the region, still remains in Day 1 with 70% of the adult population in the region still either underbanked or unbanked. On the panel, we have Greg Krasnov, founder and CEO of Philippines’ first and leading fully digital bank Tonik (revisit our Season 4 episode with Greg), Huy Nghiem, founder and CEO of Vietnam’s leading wealth management and retail investment platform Finhay (revisit our Season 4 episode with Huy), and Tianwei Liu, Deputy CEO of regional B2B fintech group Fazz, which operates in Singapore and Indonesia (revisit our Season 4 episode with Tianwei). The conversation was moderated by Tim Lee.

This conversation took place on September 23, 2022, and both the episode and transcript have been edited for brevity and clarity.

Transcript

Timestamps

(01:09) A tour of fintech in the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam; 

(12:38) Navigating Financial Services Licenses in Southeast Asia;

(16:38) Mitigating Risks in Consumer Lending;

(18:45) A Tale of Two Fintechs and their M&A;

(22:15) Blockchain for Day-to-Day Life;

Music: Energetic and Upbeat Rock Background Music For Videos and Workouts

The content of this podcast is for informational purposes only, should not be taken as legal, tax, or business advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security, and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any Insignia Ventures fund.