S1E5 | Truths About Lighting Up One’s Own Path And That Of 60M Workers In Indonesia | Nelly Nurmalasari, Pintarnya

It’s hard to translate vision into reality – especially when you are trying to help workers build a better life. But when you see it happening, the moment is magical! Listen to Nelly and Jessica discuss the highs and lows of building Pintarnya, the huge potential it has to transform blue-collar workers’ lives as well as Nelly’s take on how women can be more empowered to take charge of their lives and careers.

Discussion Topics: Truths about Lighting Up One’s Own Path and That of 60M Workers in Indonesia

• First impressions of Vertex and Pintarnya.
• How Pintarnya was conceived based on personal experience.
• Being picked to be CEO by her accomplished co-founders.
• Vertex’ investment thesis for Pintarnya.
• The hard truth about translating vision into reality.
• One key difference between male and female founders.
• A magic moment in the journey.
• A big vision.
• Co-founders and spirit animals.
• Nelly’s thoughts on female empowerment.
• How her mother shaped her ambitions.

Transcript: Truths about Lighting Up One’s Own Path and That of 60M Workers in Indonesia

Elise Tan: Hi, I’m Elise Tan, and I’m your host for this episode of Hard Truths by Vertex Podcast. Today we have a special episode because joining me is my colleague, Jessica Koh, Director of Investment as a co-host. We have a special guest Nelly Nurmalasari, co-founder and CEO of Pintarnya. Hi Nelly.

Nelly Nurmalasari: Hi Elise, I’m good. Thank you.

Jessica Koh: Yes, thanks for having us, and good to have you with us Nelly.

Elise Tan: Now, let me introduce Nelly first. So I mentioned Nelly is the co-founder and CEO of Pintarnya. So Nelly has a very interesting background, and a journey leading up to becoming an entrepreneur. She brings with her 14 years of experience from reputable companies such as Boston Consulting Group and Traveloka. So let’s hear her story in this episode. So Nelly, would you like to tell us more about Pintarnya?

Nelly Nurmalasari: Yeah, sure. So thanks for having me here. So I built Pintarnya, along with my two other co-founders, around 10 months ago, so it’s still 10 months old. So Pintarnya, itself is a platform for mass workers in Indonesia to empower them, our vision or mission we are actually helping them in three parts. One is to get them employed, get them jobs, the second one is actually getting them more employable.

So we currently have a few upskilling classes to help them get better jobs. And lastly, we get them access to better financial services as our last mile vision. But what we provide today is also offering them a side gig opportunity so that they can get instant cash or rewards while they’re searching for jobs. So that’s what we’re doing. So that means that we are a two-sided platform, we are balancing between the job seekers, but also the employers who need workers to actually run their operations.

Elise Tan: Very interesting idea. One question I always ask for our show for International Women’s Day is who found who first? How did you both get to know each other?

Nelly Nurmalasari: Yes, so Vertex and Pintarnya maybe we’ll start with there, and then I’ll explain more about Nelly and Jessica’s story. One of the co-founders, Henry actually had a long relationship with Vertex and when we were incubating the idea of Pintarnya we were not yet full time I think at that time, we only built the visions, but not yet clear in terms of the roadmaps of what we wanted to build. Henry actually was invited to pitch the story about Pintarnya.

We’re not so sure, but was convinced by Henry it was more like friendly, polite conversations and introductions. So we finally accepted the invitation. And quite surprised with many audiences, senior audience actually from Vertex side. And that’s where I met Jessica, first time, by distance video call, revealing questions of what’s the real impact I made like why do you pick this journey of like, ready to leave Traveloka for Pintarnya so those are like my first interaction with Jessica, but then afterward, end of last year, Henry and I visited at Singapore and met Jessica in person.

And maybe like last month, or earlier this month, I met Jessica again in Jakarta, and I finally got to meet the real her. And this is not about Vertex, but it’s about Jessica, I would say like no-nonsense person, but still very warm. So, when we had lunch together Jessica was the one who kind of liked servicing everyone, the meals and stuff. So I felt like it’s not only the no-nonsense part, but there is some warmth, and casual and like bubbly personality out of Jessica. That’s what I like about her.

Elise Tan: Yeah, that’s the Jessica I know, taking care of everyone before herself. Thanks, Jessica. Jessica, what’s your impression of Nelly?

Jessica Koh: Her reputation precedes her, that’s for sure. I’ve heard of Nelly before I’ve even met her. I was told that she is a very inspiring role model to a lot of actually women in Indonesia because of her background, how far she has come because of her track record, and how she came from a middle-class family and went to school in the US came back played a very key role in Traveloka and then starting her own venture. So when I met Nelly, I honestly didn’t know what to expect. But I was very pleasantly surprised.

She’s extremely kind, very warm, extremely down to earth but you know that she definitely knows what she’s talking about. And it comes from experience. I think as a VC over time, we are able to tell if someone’s speaking from theory and if someone’s speaking from practical experience that actually shines through a lot. So Nelly was definitely a gem, one of the female founders out there that I’m super excited and grateful to be able to back.

Nelly Nurmalasari: Thank you, Jess, for your kind words, you’re too nice also.

Elise Tan: Yeah, this is really nice to hear. Nelly, how did you and your co-founder conceive this idea of Pintarnya?

Nelly Nurmalasari: So firstly, I think it’s actually more the three of us getting together, We share that we have the same visions, and we want to build something together. And when I pitched the ideas about me having a, like a salon business before I had really big pain points of trying to hire and keep hiring people. And then I also shared about the struggle that all my past employees actually assessing loans and then kind of trying to get some advance money.

And that actually brings even performance impact at the operations, I think all of those speaking together and the pain points my other co-founders are quite excited to also solve these problems. And that really fortified the visions of building the One Stop digital platform that how we can finally empower all these mass workers, eventually servicing them financial service products, but to begin with giving them money to actually live their life, which means giving them jobs, or even a side gig jobs.

So that’s how we came around. But of course, throughout the journey, we realise that we keep looking into what’s the more brilliant idea or part in servicing this segment. That’s something that is more like the glue between the three of us I think by seeing the spacing, the issues, and trying to solve it.

Jessica Koh: I think since it’s International Women’s Day, a lot of working women would face similar or relatable dynamics at work. I wanted to sort of double-click on the topic of you being a female CEO, how did the three of you come about selecting you as the ones who lead the company? Henry and Ghirish are heavyweights in their own right when it comes to the sector, they were extremely senior operators, tech veterans, in fact, extremely alpha and dominant. And I think most people will find it counterintuitive, that they ended up picking you as the CEO, which I think is something that is very commendable and inspiring at the same time. How did they come about this decision? Also, how do the dynamics among the three of you actually unfold?

Nelly Nurmalasari: So firstly, we are equal co-founders, I think that’s how we see ourselves. But at the beginning, when we agreed to build Pintarnya, of course, the three of us had the equivalent voice to pitch each other ideas. And that’s also like one of the initial ideas that we pick, that idea also originated by me as well, I think that’s also bringing some weight.

But beyond that, after we pick, what’s an idea we want to hone in on, we also decide, let’s take a vote on who’s going to be like our CEOs. And actually, I had some name in my mind, and it’s actually certainly not me. And then before even I started sharing my thoughts, the two of them actually said, no, it’s quite obvious it’s got to be Nelly. So the two of them actually say that instantly. I think we kind of maybe decided over like five minutes about that because I think we realise, we understand the dynamics, we understand the personality, and we understand that what is actually the definition of CEO is a tiebreaker. And that means someone who can be neutral enough to actually see what’s the problem at hand.

Not necessarily someone who actually dictates everything, because we say that they equal co-founders. But yeah, it’s the tiebreaker, the balancing voice, the one in between the one who can actually balance what’s right, emotional objectives. I also share with them, if I were the CEO, that this is how I see myself, and whether it’s aligned with how they see or define what the CEO means. And then we discuss that and then we come to an agreement. So that’s quite more like that kind of fluid discussion among the three of us.

Elise Tan: People from the outside see us more clearly who we can be rather than ourselves. And I’m sure both of your co-founders have seen a lot in you as a leader for the company. So that’s really nice. So, Jessica, can you tell us now how we develop the investment thesis for Pintarnya?

Jessica Koh: Sure, I’d say because the investment is extremely early, as Nelly has mentioned a huge part of it is obviously to generate direction in terms of the industry, we feel that the blue-collar workforce sort of problem statement hasn’t been really addressed. I mean, we’ve seen different generations, cohorts of startups, trying to address the problem in the past, however, we haven’t really seen a particularly strong product market fit.

What I mean, product market fit, it’s not just how a solution addresses a problem statement rather, it’s also looking at is your business model to begin with, Is the sustainable unit economics, and is there a founder fit as well? I think founder market fit, founder product fit, that’s something that we also look out a lot for. And so I think the Pintarnya team was obviously a team that was extremely strong in terms of their ability to segment dissect complex issues, problem statement, they have an acute understanding of the market, with a lot of empathy, with Nelly’s story, having run a salon, but and I also feel that the product market fit is something that is evolving with the landscape. And I can’t think of a better team to solve this problem for Indonesia.

Elise Tan: And so Jessica, is this the first HR tech at Vertex Ventures in Southeast Asia and India?

Jessica Koh: Yeah, I believe so. I believe this is actually our first HR tech. I wouldn’t actually call it HR tech in the quintessential sense. I would say it’s an employment platform that has a FinTech goal, as its end goal. And so I would say, based on the potential for the data, that’s going to be current, constantly refreshed in high quality, and relatively complete I see the data game actually opening up a lot more doors for bigger plans for monetization. And I think employment is just the first step, the entry point. It’s subsidising CAC for quality data.

Elise Tan: And how has your journey been?

Nelly Nurmalasari: The journey has been tough. I think all this is the hard truth. So I need to say realistically it’s tough. I think painting the vision is quite easy. Painting, even the missions, what that vision entails is quite easy. But finding how we really need to serve them, how to create the behaviour we want, is not easy. And particularly beyond that behaviour, finding what’s the real economics we can get out of it that’s even harder. I think maybe that’s how I summarise it. Because eventually, you want to build a business that is sustainable.

So it needs to actually generate some kind of healthy, good-quality revenue. But at the same time, you need to make sure that real users are served well. So you’re not only the vitamin, but you’re the painkiller. I think that’s the philosophy behind it. And it feels like whatever the visions we put initially, I think we believe we can get there. But the path to get there, we keep always kind of like debating, on a weekly basis.

I think we believe it’s beyond finding product market fit, but it’s also product market sales fit because we need to make sure that we get the quality revenue we want. Like when one path, sees that, hey, we can make our user happy. But who’s going to be paying like who is actually funding this happiness and still a question mark, it means that yeah, maybe it’s a PMF, but it’s not like a PMSF, those kinds of things I think we shared.

Elise Tan: Yeah, definitely it is not easy being an entrepreneur. And I’m surprised you painted a solemn picture. So I’m actually going to ask Jessica this question: How do you think has been the progress at Pintarnya so far?

Jessica Koh: I’d say that any team at the early stage will obviously face their own set of challenges, their own share of problem statements that they are confounded with. However, I think generally, the team has done extremely well. I think now Nelly doesn’t give herself enough credit. I think we’re used to the fact that in the early stages of a company, the answers don’t just fall in your lap. There is a lot of active listening, and hard conversations that the founders have to have with each other to realise if are we even going in the right direction.

And sometimes they realise that actually no, there’s no point going down this route if there is no fit in terms of product or sentiments from the customers. And so I think the fact that the team has iterated quite a bit, little adjustments here and made hard decisions along the way, even within such a short amount of time, to me shows the tenacity, the maturity of the team, to look at the problem in the eye and acknowledge that, okay, we probably went down the wrong route, and it’s alright, we are going to explore other routes and become better from there.

I think a lot of founders underestimate product market fit as something much more simple, but rather, a more mature and experienced team of operators is obsessed and can be very obsessed with that fit. And sometimes that fit is a work in progress. I’ve seen Series C and Series D companies that are still constantly iterating, adjusting their product market fit, depending on new markets, and new products that they launch. And so I think it’s a moving target that I think most important is how the team approaches it rather than necessarily getting the right answer from the get-go.

Elise Tan: Yeah, I think it is really difficult to kind of rein in the expectations, especially if you have started other companies before, or you have been a superstar. And then in essence, of International Women’s Day, I’m just going to ask you this question because when I asked you how the progress was and then you mentioned it was tough, so I’m just wondering, do you see this difference between how female founder and male founder communicate? Because the female founder may in your experience tend to be more straightforward in communicating.

Jessica Koh: Undersell.

Elise Tan: Yeah, undersell right, what do you think both of you? And what can we do to change?

Nelly Nurmalasari: I think we as female leaders, would be more inclined to share. It feels like normal to actually reveal that. But I do believe like my other two co-founders feel the same that the early journey is not easy. Usually, I ask how you feel, and how you feel so each of us actually shares our individual opinions before we calibrate.

So I think the three of us will say that. But you’re right, as a female leader, or female CEO, maybe I’ll be being more out there to say that it is not easier. People who might see on me from the newsflash that founders get these founders get that launch this I think that’s like the easy one on paper. But the real tough part, I think it’s so much hidden. I think everyone, and founder, I’m sure, is dealing with the same thing I’m dealing with now.

Jessica Koh: I think that’s very commendable. I think despite the ecosystem, being extremely nascent and I think a lot of founders tend to feel that they have to maintain a certain persona of things are great, like we’re kicking ass, we’re breaking boundaries, I think I genuinely believe that the ecosystem will benefit from having more vulnerable founders, not because they’re weak it’s precise because they have the self-awareness, the maturity, and the security, the sense of security to say that, hey, you’re not alone.

But I think for most seasoned investors, that percentage of the equation is much less because we know that the industry has a lot of smokes and mirrors and we naturally apply a discount factor to different people when all they say is how things are great. I think that’s one of the reasons why I really wanted to work with the team at Pintarnya from the get-go. I felt that there was a lot of integrity, and transparency in saying, this is what we know, and this is what we don’t know. And I think the awareness of knowing what you don’t know is extremely important to even narrow down how we prioritise certain questions and things to fix in the business.

And so I feel, yeah, women do have the tendency to undersell from my interactions with female founders as compared to male founders, however, I’d say that overselling as well, which can be a tendency is even more detrimental. Actually, Nelly. while you’re on that point, I wanted to follow on with the question, You mentioned user feedback. And I recall you telling me some of the little stories that make your time at Pintarnya so much more worthwhile. I was wondering if you could just share some of the happiest moments or fulfilling moments you’ve had so far.

Nelly Nurmalasari: Yeah, sure. So the fulfilling moments I had, initially, I think I shared this with Elise in the previous Vertex session when we found out that in one day, suddenly we got around 4000 free downloads like Hey, what happened, what channels are actually driving in. And then we realised that there’s like one, happy job seeker who found a job in Pintarnya, and then posted in TikTok, organically and shared it across that.

So she got a job in one of the events as a sales promotion girl. And it was a big deal for her. And then she posted in TikTok sharing that, have you tried this platform, I got the job. And this is not fraud because there are so many fraudulent jobs out there. And it’s quite easy to use. It’s very user-friendly, I get this. And these are some other jobs that I saw. And so she shared it. And then we got an instant, 4000 downloads on that particular one-day organic for free.

And then we look at how all the traffic came in because of these jobs that the girl promoted. So we found that, hey, this got maybe like 100,000 viewers or something. So I felt like hey, that’s an amplified impact of someone’s happiness. Hey, there’s suddenly a big impact, someone’s feeling happy. We found that what we are trying to prove is that we’re empowering people it works well.

Then the most recent story, I think I took a taxi back home. And then typically, I chat with the driver and ask around, how did you get the jobs? And he said, yeah, I tried this app called Pintarnya. I was Oh, really? And then I asked, did you apply there? Yeah, I applied, and I got the job. I got this job, like a month ago. And I felt very thrilled that suddenly like what you’re doing, you’re talking to the real customer.

Elise Tan: Yeah, you guys are making a real impact. Can you tell me a little bit, about what you envision as the impact that Pintarnya, as a platform, all of you wish to have on the blue-collar and grey-collar community?

Nelly Nurmalasari: So what we wish to happen with this community actually, first, they are underserved in their financial service needs. And the needs, it’s actually start from earning money. It’s not easy for them to get jobs, they often get defrauded. So they apply for jobs. But at the end, when they show up at the interview, it’s actually somebody else asking for money, or ransom or something like that, that’s quite happened a lot.

So what we wish to help them is actually really making an economic impact for these segments. And if it’s hard, sometimes it’s going to be, or maybe like most of the time, it’s going to be hard for them to get the job. But they can actually still earn something while they are waiting for a more steady job. So that’s why we offer them more like side gigs opportunities where they can participate in some missions, a short mission to do some work, let’s say a growth hacking work, marketing work, showing for some like crowd events, while they’re getting settled.

And once they get settled, and they get their income from Pintarnya, they will trust the Pintarnya brand, to be the one who actually creates an impact on their living.  We want them to also keep in touch on our platform, and how they earn their salaries, how they actually put their credits or savings with us because, to begin with, let’s say if they do some sort of missions, we’re going to give it in the Pintarnya wallet. So that’s the initial journey we set. But along the way, I think what Jessica mentioned, this is just the first stepping point about the wedge on multiple offerings.

But if we know their profile, we know their progressive journey at the career, we know what their kind of financial habits look like and their profile, like we want to offer them further. Offer them further would be like lots of financial service needs, be it let’s say loan when in the time that needs that is more encouraging than the typical online lenders nowadays or we can also give them more like aspirationals, maybe some realised that they actually want to spend for improving themselves, paying for classes to actually, an alternative from formal education is you go join an offline training and online training and at the end, you get hired for higher paying jobs.

That kind of spending that we realised our users like they’re willing to spend, and we try and launch some classes, they do subscribe. So then we believe there are so many more offerings we can do but in the grand scheme of things of helping them to actually earn their living. I think that’s how we see success.

Elise Tan: Jessica, do you want to add on anything?

Jessica Koh: No, I actually want to break the ice a little bit. I want to ask a silly question. If you were to pick a spirit animal to represent you, Nelly I’m curious what those animals would be. What does Girish remind you of, what does Henry remind you of?

Nelly Nurmalasari: They’ll be so angry at me.

Jessica Koh: Haha. That’s the whole point, my dear. 

Nelly Nurmalasari: Actually, maybe I’ll start with Girish. Do you know Iguana?

Jessica Koh: Oh, yeah, of course. It’s an Iguana really? Why?

Nelly Nurmalasari: Do you know why? Because, from the outside, it looks so scary, right? Iguana look scary, but what do Iguana eat? Fruits. So actually gentle, soft. I think that’s how I see Girish from the outside can be like someone opinionated and very firm, very loud gets angry easily, very impatient. But he is a very people person, very soft, and considerate. And like many things I think that’s Girish. Henry, uh, Tiger.

Jessica Koh: Oh, wow. See Alpha dominant, right?

Nelly Nurmalasari: Yes, you will know, what are his red buttons? So waking up the sleeping Tiger kind of thing that really happens with Henry. But at the same time, you know what kind of strength you can get out of him. Like when you really need to unleash the tiger you unleash Henry. So, I think that’s how I’m seeing them.

Jessica Koh: Wow. That’s very insightful. I’m seeing – I actually get what you mean.

Nelly Nurmalasari: I’m between cats and dogs. I feel cats because I think I’m quite lovable, meaning that likable. I think that’s why I said I can be the balancing voice between the two. Why I think it’s a mix between cats and dogs because I know cats are not loyal. But dogs are more loyal. And that’s why I like that I’m a very loyal person. So yeah, maybe that’s me, a combo of a doggy cat.

Elise Tan: I think it is interesting to bring up Iguana because at first when you say it, I thought oh, I just had an image of a chameleon. So I also thought maybe you’re going to say that your co-founder is so good with any situation can plan it and command it.

Jessica Koh: He’s just scary on the outside and sweet on the inside.

Nelly Nurmalasari: They’re going to be so pissed at me. 

Jessica Koh: You did mention a lot about how you stand for female empowerment. It’s been a very close-to-heart topic for a long time. And also part and parcel of the reason why you started a salon. But you also had several takeaways from it. And I was just wondering, you know how has that affected your lens about female empowerment? And if there are other women out there seeking to do the same, what would you advise them to do?

Nelly Nurmalasari: So maybe my definition of female empowerment, I think, came from my own experience when I felt that it’s hard to strive at the workplace. But then I always find that one or two lady bosses, who are kind enough to guide me the way that when, like that female has that, like more sensitive towards other people’s feelings. So when I felt I had some issues, and then maybe she was the only person noticed in the room, I think this was during my BCG years.

And she came to me and asked, how’s it going and, and offered me some advice. And I think I got that kind of, kind attention when I was young. And I felt that, hey, I really need to just pass this good, kind movement, right? And then I felt that it should always – the women should actually bring like other women together and help them out.

Because otherwise, the chain will just get lost in between. I think that’s what I believed in. And that’s why I kept seeing different different role models of how they’ve been helping me. And I just wanted to make sure that I’m doing the same thing. So within my team, I want to make sure that I hire, let’s say, good female leaders as well.

When I did that, I mentored them well, and for example, let’s say in Traveloka I kept telling everyone, that whenever you hear someone wanted to stop working, just because they just had their first child, set up a meeting with me, I think that’s what I told to my team, so I think I’ve been having so many like one on ones trying to stop people from quitting. Because I think that’s the first risk, the moment you give up, and then you just give up along the way.

So you wanted to stop like that the first risk of living, meaning that sacrificing your career for, like being a good mother or something like no, you can actually balance it, you just need to make sure you define your limit and stretch yourself. I think that’s how I’m saying it. Just be that, I’m not saying like an alpha female, but send that example, then more like being transparent about it. Share it with your peers, be vulnerable about it, share your own experience, and then ask the same person once you actually build the success for her to ask her to do the same to others. I think that’s how I’ve been more like defining what women’s empowerment looks like.

It is softer than being feminists out there and sharing some quotes on LinkedIn, I think it is more like closer to the heart than really grooming and mentoring others and whoever you mentored, even if they’re no longer with you actually still set up like messaging WhatsApp like my ex-team members who are female colleagues, how’s it going? Hey, now, you’re the only female leader there, do you need anything like talk to me? I think that is more like the continuity I’m committed to which I believe so many other women leaders are also doing the same as me.

Elise Tan: I think it’s really powerful when women come together as a community and support each other. Why is it that the boys behave so well together like in a boy’s club, if only women supported each other the way they do, we would be much better off. And I’m so glad that you are using your time and energy to be nurturing and looking after your colleagues, and your teammates. So I’m sure they will go a long way.

Jessica Koh: Do you have a primary identity that you think is more pronounced than another?

Nelly Nurmalasari: I think career is really what defines me. And that’s also what set the foundations of let’s say, my family, my marriage, even like right before I got married, I told my husband like if you’re going to get married, this is how I see myself like I’m quite ambitious, this is how I wanted to achieve.

Jessica Koh: And that’s like  24-year-old Nelly, right?

Nelly Nurmalasari: No, 22. My first kid was when I was 24. So I told him I laid out the plan. I enjoy my career at BCG. I wanted to be at the top quintile, so I wanted to get sponsorship. I wanted to go MBA, If all of this like yes for you, then okay, let’s get married. But otherwise, you’re not my cup of tea.

Elise Tan: Yeah, you’re my hero. I think at the same age; I wouldn’t have thought of all this.

Nelly Nurmalasari: Because otherwise, you settle with someone and this is your partner and you get the different visions, he will have a different expectation of you. It’s going to make it tougher. I knew what I wanted, I knew that I’d always been a very ambitious woman. So it’s better laying out making sure my foundation is clear, like undebatable I’m going to be the leader out there.

Elise Tan: Yeah, and thanks for sharing quite a bit with us. And I think before we formally end I actually want to have a follow-up question, because you mentioned how you are ambitious. So how did this ambition come about? Has it got to do something with your childhood? And what was your childhood like?

Nelly Nurmalasari: So my childhood I grew up in a regular family in a very small neighbourhood called Cilegon a very small city, where my mom was a teacher. My dad is a steel factory worker. But my mom was a very smart, bright student. So she kept telling me that if I wanted to make a difference in this life, I needed to be a super A student.

Then you can leave this small city and chase your dream. That’s like what my mom kept whispering in my ears. So that’s why I grew up a very academic girl, a student who tried to be like number one and so forth. And was encouraged by my mom that you have to leave the city you need to actually chase to go to a better school because there is no good school at Cilegon to match your ambition. So I think I just wanted to keep getting A Plus, number one students and that’s why I left Cilegon to Bandung.

So I think she kept giving me an ambitious goal in terms of the definition of success in each stage, and that’s also why when I was about to graduate, she was the one who groomed me and asked me questions like okay if you want to build a career define what is a good career for you, and kind of like always kept giving me kind of like the right questions to anchor I think that kind of training made me feel that maybe that’s the ambitious little Nelly setting out like my own self like what’s the real goal at the right stage, and that’s just become the habit, always like once you accomplish something is more like this is quite easy now.

Elise Tan: That’s great and because this is in honour of International Women’s Day, I also want to say thank you to your mom for being such a good mentor to you over the years so that we know we can now have an exciting start Pintarnya.

Jessica Koh: Shout out to Nelly’s mom!

Nelly Nurmalasari: She’s downstairs!

Elise Tan: So Nelly, thank you so much for giving us your time and sharing so many interesting history, stories about yourself as well. We really enjoyed the conversation. So thanks, Jessica as well, being my co-host on this podcast, you really bring a lively mood to this episode. So with this, thank you so much. And then we’ll see you for the next podcast on Hard Truths by Vertex.

Nelly Nurmalasari: Thank you.

Guests: Nelly Nurmalasari & Jessica Koh

Nelly Nurmalasari is the Co-Founder and CEO of Pintarnya, a technology startup based in Indonesia with a mission to unlock employment and financial opportunities for millions of blue-collar workers in Indonesia. 

She began her career at BCG, spending over 10 years as a project leader and was chosen to receive a full scholarship towards an MBA at The Wharton School. During her studies, she developed a strong interest in technology and eventually joined Traveloka, where she rose to the position of SVP, leading a business unit with over 600 employees. She also ran a salon on the side, the pain points of which led to the idea that birthed Pintarnya.

Jessica Koh has been with Vertex Ventures SEA and India for close to five years. She is currently an Investment Director at VVSEA&I, and led the investment in Pintarnya. Prior to Vertex, Jessica was at 500 Startups, involved in Investments & Fundraising. She graduated from NUS placing on the Dean’s List, and spent a year in Silicon Valley as part of the NUS Overseas Colleges programme.