“What it takes to become great”: Willson Cuaca and Najwa Shihab’s secret sauce to achieving success

Prior to being East Ventures’ Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Willson Cuaca embarked on a career in cybersecurity as an iPhone developer in Singapore. On the other hand, Najwa Shihab, now an accomplished journalist and the Founder of media startup NARASI, started her journey from the ground up at a local TV station.

‘Investors are becoming more selective, especially when it comes to risks and valuations’: Roderick Purwana

With the threatening global economic condition that overshadows the tech industry, keeping one’s optimism is not an easy feat. This, which also stems from the COVID-19 pandemic, has resulted in multiple layoffs within the tech industry, both globally and domestically.

Willson Cuaca, a venture capital pioneer, makes FORTUNE Indonesia’s Businessperson of The Year 2022 list

Willson Cuaca, Co-founder & Managing Partner at East Ventures (EV), is one of the key figures behind capital injections into hundreds of start-ups in Indonesia. However, the story of how he raised investor funds and channeled them to startup founders—who, even then, only had an idea and didn't have a team yet—is a gamble. Yet, he never knew whether to win or lose.