Jakarta, 10 July 2023 – KarirLab, an online platform connecting students and campuses with hiring employers, announced its pre-seed funding from Alpha JWC and M Venture Partners, with participation from angel investors who recognize the potential of KarirLab’s vision.
The pre-seed round will enable KarirLab to accelerate its product development, expand its team, and establish strategic partnerships with leading universities and employers. The funding will also fuel KarirLab’s platform enhancement, ensuring seamless student and employer experience to cater to the evolving needs of the job market.
KarirLab is founded by Tessa Saraswati, Stephanus Wicardo, and William Surya Wijaya, who collectively believes that every student of every background should have access and resources to help them build a solid foundation in navigating the job market, such as having an effective resume and professional branding, as early as possible.
Tessa Saraswati, Co-Founder and CEO of KarirLab said, “We extend our deepest appreciation to our investors who have been with us since day one. The hardship of early career recruiting is a pain point shared by many. With this pre-seed round, KarirLab is positioned to fulfill our potential in partnering with universities and employers at scale. We are excited to empower the next generation of young professionals and revolutionize career services and management in Indonesia to propel more quality graduates and career opportunities.”
The company aims to become the number one first-jobbers career services platform in Indonesia, eyeing millions of active university, polytechnic, and other higher-education institutions students and fresh graduates. The company bridges the gap between the ecosystem of students, universities, and employers by providing a comprehensive and streamlined career development and management platform. It offers individual profile evaluation, ATS-friendly resume builder, curated job vacancy portal, and talent management services.
As of the first half of 2023, the company has clocked in hundreds of thousands of users and has posted thousands of jobs from hundreds of different organizations across Indonesia. KarirLab has hosted numerous live and virtual career events in collaboration with universities with 20,000+ participating students combined, such as KarirFest by KarirLab and UI Career Internship Scholarship Expo 2023, and various partnerships with government, employers, and leading campuses in Indonesia.
“As Indonesia enters the period of demographic bonus, KarirLab is strategically positioned to be a driving force in shaping the future of the modern Indonesia talent ecosystem. Their comprehensive and streamlined approach places them in a prime position to connect millions of students and universities by advancing and serving as growth partner for career services, effectively bridging a critical gap in the talent market. By providing students from diverse backgrounds with access to resources for building a solid foundation in navigating the job market, KarirLab is poised to leave a lasting impact.” Jefrey Joe, General Partner of Alpha JWC, said. “We take great pride in our investment in KarirLab’s pre-seed round, empowering them to accelerate product development, expand their team, and forge strategic partnerships. Through these efforts, KarirLab will pave the way for a more seamless and efficient talent ecosystem in Indonesia.”
“MVP is thrilled to support KarirLab, a direct college-to-career platform that aims to boost student employability and transform the early talent recruiting experience for employers,” said Mayank Parekh, Founding Partner at M Venture Partners (MVP).
“KarirLab is solving a big problem for millions of unemployed youth in Indonesia. Tessa, Stephanus, William, and their team have unique insights gathered from their past experiences, and they are leveraging that to build a tech-enabled platform that eliminates barriers between students, career centers, and employers through proprietary career services and on-campus recruiting software.”
Prof. Dr. drg. Sandra Fikawati, MPH, Head of Career Development Center University of Indonesia (CDC UI), an institutional partner who has collaborated with KarirLab, stated, “One of the key challenges in preparing students to the job market is the unequal access to information and lack of professional counsel to students. Aided by technology, CDC UI works closely with KarirLab to bridge these two issues and has supported many UI students transitioning into the job market.”
With the backing of this pre-seed round, KarirLab is well-positioned to revolutionize career management platforms and drive meaningful change in the higher education and job sectors. The company is now actively seeking to integrate latest AI-based innovations and forge strategic partnerships to develop a more personalized career development platform.
