Alpha JWC Ventures, as a venture capital firm, focuses not only on investment but also supporting its portfolio companies in talent acquisition, organization structure, partnership, business development, and many other aspects.
When she first joined Alpha JWC Ventures, Nadia was involved in the end-to-end investment process, from deal sourcing to deal closing. As time went by, Nadia then started to focus more on the strategic and operations side of the firm’s work. In her current role, Nadia works with the portfolio companies in various matters including business pivot and key initiatives, while also managing internal projects related to the fund and investment strategies.
Nadia said that her work motivation comes from the impact she could bring to the people from the result of her work. As her role requires her to work closely with startup founders and their operations team, she is also driven by the thought that her input could be of use and eventually help accelerate their business.
For Nadia, there are three important skills to have if you want to work in an investment firm and with tech founders. First, you need to have good communication skills and the ability to put your work in any medium (e.g. slides, formal reports, and spreadsheets) clearly and comprehensively. Second, working in this industry requires you to have the adaptability and flexibility to change. Last but not least, Nadia thinks it is important to be able to think beyond your responsibilities; how you could deliver more than what your job required.
Prior to joining Alpha JWC, Nadia had the experience working in the US, at one of Danone’s subsidiary companies, specifically in supply chain management for baby food products. In this role, Nadia was responsible for quality control of the ingredients, negotiation with suppliers, processing feedback or complaints from and to the suppliers, and ensuring the implementation of the improvement plan. What made Nadia’s situation unique, however, was that the subsidiary she was working at used to be a startup before it was acquired by Danone. Thus, even when working in an established company, she still experienced the dynamic of working in a startup environment, where everything was fast-paced and ever-changing.
Before that, Nadia graduated Magna Cum Laude from Cornell University, majoring in Food Science. Two years after working at Danone, she decided to take a Master of Business Administration in the University of Michigan.
Ever since her second year of undergraduate study, Nadia has decided to, one day, come back to Indonesia. With 8 years of education and experience in the US, one of Nadia’s most personal goals is to bring what she learned in the US — from her college days, work experience, to lifestyle — and transfer that knowledge and skills to the challenges she would face in Indonesia.
Apart from that, Nadia feels that, even though life in the US could be very stable in terms of infrastructure and technologies, she likes the level of excitement living in Indonesia could bring. There are many limitations and opportunities to improve, and that’s where she could learn to be creative in her approach to day-to-day activities.
Moreover, Nadia shares, she realized that Indonesia — as an extension of Southeast Asia — has been developing their tech industry for the past several years; many great companies produced in Indonesia. From ride-hailing, tech-enabled capsule hotels, to F&B business supported by their own apps, Indonesia is now one of the biggest markets for the tech industry.
“It’s where the action is now at,” Nadia said, “not in the US anymore, but in Southeast Asia, in Indonesia”.
