Successful young entrepreneurs in Indonesia – There are many famous and successful entrepreneurs in Indonesia who are successful in running a business at a young age. Hard work, unyielding, tenacity, and strong determination are some of the factors that make these young entrepreneurs achieve success. These young entrepreneurs are engaged in various diverse business fields, from the culinary business to building a digital startup.
Now there are many startup companies in Indonesia that contribute to advancing the Indonesian economy. Not a few startup companies are founded and led by young entrepreneurs who started their business from scratch. Some of these young entrepreneurs have even succeeded in making their companies get the title of unicorn in Indonesia.
To be able to achieve success as it is today, these young entrepreneurs in Indonesia have their own background stories. The following are profiles and biographies of 10 successful young entrepreneurs in Indonesia that can inspire us all.
1. James Prananto (Kopi Kenangan)
Successful young entrepreneurs: James Prananto (Kopi Kenangan)
James Prananto and his two colleagues, Cynthia Chaerunnisa and Edward Tirtanata, are entrepreneurs from Indonesia who have succeeded in building a modern coffee milk business called Kopi Kenangan. These three inspiring young entrepreneurs started the Kopi Kenangan business in 2017 at the Standard Chartered Tower, South Jakarta.
Having the taste of fresh and delicious milk coffee, the name Kopi Kenangan is starting to be known and loved by coffee lovers. Until now, Kopi Kenangan already has dozens of coffee outlets spread across various cities in Indonesia.
Kopi Kenangan even received an injection of funds from several large startup investors. One of them is from Arrive, a fundraising platform run by Roc Nation, Jay Z’s company.
Also read: The Importance of Business Incubators for Entrepreneurs
2. Anderson Sumarli (Ajaib)
Young businessman from Indonesia: Anderson Sumarli (Ajaib). (Source: Prestigeonline)
The next young Indonesian entrepreneur is Anderson Sumarli, Co-Founder and CEO of the Ajaib Group who developed the Ajaib investment application.
Founded in 2018, the company led by Anderson has now become the 7th unicorn startup in Indonesia after receiving series B funding worth US$ 153 million or around Rp. 2.2 trillion. The funding was led by DST Global with previous Ajaib investors, including Alpha JWC Ventures.
In his work as a successful young investor and entrepreneur, Anderson himself was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2020 because of his company’s contribution in increasing the number of retail investors in Indonesia.
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3. Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo (Otoklix)
Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo (Source: Sekolah Ciputra)
Next up is Martin Reyhan Suryohusodo, a young Indonesian entrepreneur who has been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2021 list in the industry, manufacturing, and energy categories.
He got the title thanks to his business called Otoklix, an application that connects vehicle owners with workshops. The application, which was built in 2019, has now become an important player in the car repair market in Indonesia.
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4. Amanda Cole (Sayurbox)
Famous entrepreneur in indonesia: Amanda Cole (Source: Project with Us)
Continuing the list of successful young entrepreneurs in Indonesia, then there is Amanda Cole, who was also included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the Industry, Manufacturing & Energy category in 2019. Her success is known after establishing the startup Sayurbox in 2016.
Starting from the intention to provide market access for local Indonesian farmers, now Sayurbox has secured series C funding worth US$120 million or equivalent to Rp1.7 trillion from Northstar and Alpha JWC Ventures.
Also read: Outstanding Female Investors and Entrepreneurs from Indonesia
5. Steven Wongsoredjo (Super)
Steven Wongsoredjo (Source: Alpha JWC)
Steven Wongsoredjo is a young Indonesian entrepreneur and the founder of Super, an application platform for agents who distribute goods for stalls and shops.
This application helps small entrepreneurs to become agents and order goods at a much lower price. This young Indonesian entrepreneur who graduated from the University of Columbia, United States of America is also included in the Forbes 30 Under 30.
Also read: Early Startup Funding Stages: Explained From Seed to IPO
6. Viktor Abraham (Hangry)
Young successful entrepreneurs – Abraham Viktor (Sumber: Prestige Hong Kong)
The next young Indonesian entrepreneur is Abraham Viktor, CEO of PT Modular Kuliner Indonesia (Hangry). Hangry is the first multi-brand culinary startup company in Indonesia.
Abraham’s expertise as a successful young Indonesian entrepreneur can be seen from the way he developed the Hangry business during the COVID-19 pandemic. When many culinary companies were rocking during the pandemic, Hangry was able to print sales of up to tens of thousands per day and even added several outlets.
Also read: Best Venture Capital in Southeast Asia
7. Randy Kartadinata (Mangkokku)
Randy Kartadinata (Source: KrAsia)
Randy Kartadinata fills the next list of successful young entrepreneurs in Indonesia. Together with Chefs Arnold Poernomo, Kaesang Pangarep, and Gibran Rakabuming, he founded a culinary startup called Mangkokku.
Since 2020, Mangkokku has established 50 branches spread across major cities in Indonesia, such as Jabodetabek, Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang, Malang and Solo.
Then in 2022, the company founded by these young entrepreneurs received an injection of USD 7 million or equivalent to IDR 101 billion from Alpha JWC Ventures and EMTEK, with participation from Cakra Ventures.
Also read: Short Term Investment: Definition, Risk, and The Examples
8. Indra Gunawan (Bobobox)
Indra Gunawan (Source: Pikiran Rakyat)
Those of you who like to travel or are just looking for lodging for a temporary stop must know Bobobox, a capsule hotel network spread across various cities in Indonesia.
Behind the development of the Bobobox business since 2018, there is a young entrepreneur named Indra Gunawan. With his expertise in business, Bobobox received Series A funding worth US$11.5 million led by Horizons Ventures and Alpha JWC Ventures in 2020 and now has dozens of branches.
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9. Shinta Nurfauzia (Lemonilo)
Shinta Nurfauzia
Despite taking basic education in the field of law, Shinta Nurfauzia managed to become one of the successful young entrepreneurs in Indonesia.
Together with her two friends, Shinta founded the startup Lemonilo which produces healthy food products in 2015. Starting from producing healthy instant noodles, now Lemonilo’s products have expanded, including food ingredients, beverages, and even skin care products.
Also read: Long Term Investment: Definition, Risks, and The Examples
10. Ghufron Mustaqim (Evermos)
Ghufron Mustaqim (Source: Genpi)
The next inspiring young entrepreneur is Ghufron Mustaqim, the founder of a social commerce startup named Evermos.
The company was founded in 2018 by Ghufron Mustaqim and his 3 colleagues: Iqbal Muslimin, Ilham Taufiq, and Arip Tirta. Evermos is a platform for resellers to sell products to consumers via WhatsApp or other social media platforms.
Those are successful young entrepreneurs from Indonesia who are very inspiring. Of course, to be successful, the successful entrepreneurs above also went through various obstacles and ups and downs in starting a business in their youth. It was hard work and never giving up that finally made these young entrepreneurs achieve success.
Apart from hard work and an unyielding spirit, the skill that helps these young businessmen achieve success is the ability to manage the talents in their company. Check out the guide to managing and retaining the talents in companies by downloading ASEAN’s Growth & Scale Talent Playbook.
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