Entrepreneurial mindset for startup founders: 4 stages of problem-solving
Entrepreneurial mindset for startup founders: 4 stages of problem-solving 23 December, 2020 The core of startup leadership is rooted in its founders’ entrepreneurial mindset. Melisa Irene, Partner of East Ventures, said that an entrepreneurial mindset includes problem-solving and a solution proposal. “If founders do not train themselves to clearly map out the issues they wish to solve, the product they build will not be successful. We should always ask: what is the actual problem?” Melisa said in a sharing session with start-up founders in the Makassar Startup Weekend in March. “The right mindset focuses on solving problems. [This] will help [...]
Country as a platform: The best version of Indonesia
Country as a platform: The best version of Indonesia 16 December, 2020 Indonesia as a platform has been patched by digital transformation to become the best version of Indonesia. As 2020 comes to a close, let’s take some time to reflect on how this past year has shaped this country through the lens of digital players. The year 2020 has been a year filled with paradoxes, but ultimately, those in the digital industry are winners. While everyone in the world has been physically distanced as a result of safe distancing orders and city lockdowns initiated [...]
Crisis or no crisis, entrepreneurship persists
Crisis or no crisis, entrepreneurship persists 8 December, 2020 The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has brought about transformations to our daily lives. Not only has it changed individuals, it also reconstructed the way the economy works. One of the most noticeable consequences is a paralyzed economy, which in turn results in a financial crisis. A hit on the economy like now is highly likely to deter people from realizing a business they had long planned for. The term entrepreneurship suddenly makes people nervous when mentioned during a financial crisis. However, is entrepreneurship really not possible during [...]
Insider tips for startups on how to approach venture capital
This past year, the Indonesian digital economy has consistently seen exponential growth especially in terms of new consumers. According to the Google, Bain and Temasek’s eConomy 2020 report, 1 in 3 digital service users were newcomers. To seize this opportunity, aspiring startup founders need to move fast to validate their ideas for innovation before entering the market and securing funding. While startups often turn to venture capital for funding, their business model is not always compatible with the venture capital-style of funding.
Office Hour with Willson Cuaca: What founders need to know about growing startup business and fundraising
Office Hour with Willson Cuaca: What founders need to know about growing startup business and fundraising 26 November, 2020 The young generation has become more and more creative as technological advancement increases. It has been proven by the high number of emerging start-ups, pioneered by millennials with their innovative startup business ideas. However, many emerging startup founders are still bootstrapping due to the uncertainties regarding fundraising, which in turn might hamper the growth of their startups. In the last virtual conference, Tech in Asia partnered with East Ventures to hold a discussion session that showed [...]
Idea validation with Willson Cuaca: How to start an investment-worthy startup
Idea validation with Willson Cuaca: How to start an investment-worthy startup 12 November, 2020 On 5 November, 2020, Amir Karimuddin from DSLaunchpad 2.0 hosted a question and answer with East Ventures’ Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Willson Cuaca, about startups and idea validation. In this session, aspiring startup founders can learn the importance of idea validation, how to avoid the founder’s bias, and, finally, how to start an investment-worthy startup. Three key points that Willson shares to startup founders are: Let people challenge your ideas to avoid founder's bias Combine top-down and bottom-up approach, focus on [...]
How Traveloka, Waresix and Sociolla raised US $408M in aggregate
How East Ventures’ portfolios, Traveloka, Waresix and Sociolla fought COVID-19 and raised US $408M in aggregate 2 November 2020 JAKARTA — In Tech in Asia Conference on 21 October, East Ventures founding partner, Willson Cuaca moderated a panel about startups in the time of crisis. In this panel, startup founders can learn how East Ventures portfolios - Traveloka, Sociolla, and Waresix - successfully fundraised in total of US$408 million during pandemic. During this session, startup founders can also learn the key traits of success to overcome pandemic crisis. Resilience: How Traveloka bounced back from almost zero revenue [...]
Willson Cuaca: Covid-19 spurs leap in Indonesia digital transformation
Covid-19 spurs an 18 months leap in Indonesia digital transformation journey, according to Willson Cuaca 9 October 2020 JAKARTA — The physical restrictions and lockdown imposed during the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digital adoption in Indonesia. Willson Cuaca, Co-founder and Managing Partner of East Ventures, describes this rapid transformation in Topcast by Tokopedia, a podcast hosted by Tokopedia. The implementation of the strict physical distancing measures, according to Willson, slowed down all high-touch economic activities in Indonesia. For this reason, businesses and consumers have had to adopt various digital platforms to fulfill their needs. Combined with a [...]