Startup Series: Bringing about change - one team at a time

Antler is in the business of enabling the world's most exceptional people to build technology companies that solve real problems, and have a strong impact on the world. Last year we had the chance to start working with some truly amazing entrepreneurs: Wisnu Nugrahadi, Margana Mohamad and Dimas Pramudya. In only twelve months, they have built an incredibly fast growing company working with 150,000 agents across Indonesia. So what makes Sampingan special?

magnus-grimeland

Magnus Grimeland

Magnus will challenge your ideas and loves spending time in front of a whiteboard with founders. He previously co-founded Zalora, Asia’s largest fashion e-commerce company. It was later acquired by Global Fashion Group (GFG), where Magnus served as COO and Managing Director, rolling out the firm’s marketplace across 26 countries. 

Magnus is an alumnus of Harvard University and McKinsey & Company in which he worked for six years. His last role at McKinsey & Co was as a Junior Partner, working across North America, Europe and Asia in the global telecom, media and high-tech industries. 

Sampingan, which directly translates to side-job in Bahasa Indonesia, is a platform that has been able to provide thousands of Indonesians with jobs across the country. The company was formed during Antler's first Singapore cohort, which kicked off in July 2018. They pitched at our inaugural Demo Day in January 2019.

Sampingan taps on their agent-partners across Indonesia to get access to on-demand workers in order to help businesses complete specific tasks. They count Go-Jek and OYO as their clients and help them with tasks like merchant acquisition in an efficient, transparent and rapid manner on their platform.

Barely a year since they started, they now have over 150,000 agents, 100 employees and have raised two rounds (US$ 2 million) with Golden Gate Ventures, Antler and a number of notable angels.

Sampingan founders (L-R): Wisnu Nugrahadi (CEO), Margana Mohamad (CCO), Dimas Pramudya (CPO)

The founders

The Sampingan founders make a perfect team for the business they are building. The value the 3 brought together in terms of product building, operations and in-depth knowledge of their market and what the larger tech companies needed has been integral to creating an innovative solution in the labour force.

  • Wisnu, the founder and CEO of Sampingan worked with Go-Jek in senior operational roles before taking the leap into entrepreneurship.
  • Margana, now the CCO of Sampingan has been in business operations with GSK and ran an outsourcing company.
  • Dimas comes for a product background -- he was the head of product growth with Go-Jek and was previously with Sony in Indonesia.
  • Wisnu had witnessed the gaps in the market first hand and he and his co-founders Margana and Dimas have been very clear about their mission -  to build the most trusted workforce solution in Indonesia. Not only are they brilliant and ambitious, they have shown enormous drive in the way they have scaled their business in such a short time. I was impressed by them from day one.

    What makes their business model compelling?

  • Task Based- their model is task based- this means employers only pay for conversions.
  • Pre-vetted- the pool of people companies hire through their platform has been carefully vetted and is legitimate.
  • Activity tracker- there is a performance and activity tracker integrated into the platform to ensure the task at hand is completed timely.
  • Sampingan's clients say using their platform reduces operational costs significantly. The speed, quality, and cost of their offering has been an important part of their business model.

    Together with their agent-partners, Sampingan has collectively completed 200,000 different jobs.30% of Sampingan's users are female and in a country where the average minimum monthly wage is US$250, a Sampingan super-user makes up to US$650 per month. Their pay-performance model further incentivizes people to work.

    We invest in people and give them a support system to ensure they build and grow their companies, the best way possible. I am very excited to follow their journey going forward as this is just the start of a company that is having and will continue to have a great impact on their economy, and I feel they are only just beginning.

    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Get the latest news and views from Antler’s global community

    Thank you! Your submission has been received!
    Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

    Must-read articles from Antler

    Browse our collection of founder stories, industry insights and latest startup successes from Antler Australia

    See articles
    Insights
    5 min read
    Introducing Canada's Next Big Thing: A blueprint for future entrepreneurs

    Exciting news for entrepreneurs ready to leave their mark: We've launched a pivotal initiative that spotlights the diverse opportunities within Canada's thriving industries.

    Our report curates pivotal problem statements from Canada's leading tech visionaries, founders, and VCs, offering aspiring entrepreneurs a pathway to impactful innovation.

    Discover 20+ big opportunities pinpointed by top Canadian minds, spread across six fast-growing industries. Each challenge is an invitation to create and innovate—leading the way to the future.

    We hope it will serve as a roadmap for aspiring founders ready to build tomorrow's solutions today.

    Insights
    5 min read
    Invest in women: fast-track progress

    Making progress a certainty—our north star goal at Antler—can’t happen if driven and visionary people aren’t firing at all cylinders with the support they need to tackle the pressing problems of our time. We’re marking International Women’s Day by asking women founders and team members in Antler’s global community why women are essential to progress.

    Insights
    5 min read
    How to secure venture capital as an underrepresented founder

    There is growing recognition that diverse founders and diverse teams generate more innovative solutions, ultimately building stronger businesses in the long run. Read Antler in the UK portfolio director Sarah Finegan's recent article in Startups Magazine, offering 10 tips on securing venture capital as an underrepresented founder.

    Insights
    5 min read
    From day zero to greatness: Magnus Grimeland on the Capital Allocators podcast

    How can the world tackle the increasingly complex problems of our time? With a new global infrastructure backing the most driven founders. Listen to Antler founder and CEO Magnus Grimeland discuss this—and why we're building Antler—on the Capital Allocators podcast.

    News
    5 min read
    Antler expands into Queensland, Australia

    Antler is charting a new course for innovation by expanding our presence in Australia. We are launching in Queensland and partnering with the Queensland Investment Corporation (QIC).

    Supported by the Queensland Government's Queensland Venture Capital Development Fund (QVCDF), the partnership is poised to transform the state's innovation sector. With a focus on bridging the early-stage funding gap, Antler and QIC are committed to attracting and nurturing the nation's top talent, driving forward Queensland's position on the global innovation stage.

    Insights
    5 min read
    Bridging startups and industry leaders to drive purposeful innovation

    As Jeff Bezos once said: “What’s dangerous is to not evolve.” While most business leaders understand that stagnation is fatal, for a host of reasons established companies often struggle to innovate—purposefully and powerfully.

    Antler’s Business Development and Collaborations Group helps global corporates drive innovation excellence through high value-generating collaborations with Antler’s 1,000+ (and growing) global startup portfolio. In our collaboration with Investa, a leading Australian real estate investment manager and developer, we are connecting them to our global community of founders and the cutting-edge solutions they are building.

    Read more about the powerful outcomes that happen when ambitious startups and industry leaders come together.

    Insights
    5 min read
    The next wave of innovation: 27 industry trends set to define 2024

    What will innovation look like as we move deeper into 2024? What are the biggest industry trends that will define the coming year?

    We asked our global network of Antler Operators—founders, sector leaders, CxOs, and VPs from companies including Roblox, Airtable, Shopify, Spotify, Affirm, DoorDash, Uber, Hubspot, and more, who offer 1:1 advice to Antler portfolio companies, giving them extra firepower to help fast-track their growth.

    News
    5 min read
    Antler leads $5.1M pre-seed funding for 37 startups across Southeast Asia

    This marks the highest number of pre-seed deals completed in a single round in the region.