Bukalapak CEO Achmad Zaky sets up shop at TIA Jakarta 2017

At Tech in Asia, we take pride in selecting only the best speakers as they help build a smarter, stronger community by sharing their knowledge and experiences. Not only must they have made waves with their entrepreneurial efforts, they must also have an intimate working knowledge of the local ecosystem where the conference is held.

This is why we are delighted to announce that, following COO Willix Halim’s appearance at the Marketing and Growth panel last year, Bukalapak CEO and founder Achmad Zaky himself will be holding a fireside chat at this year’s Tech in Asia Jakarta conference. Come November 1 and 2, you will be able to glean insights from his experience running one of Indonesia’s most vibrant startups.

Taking the opening of stalls online

Like many pioneering figures in the startup industry, Zaky has weathered his fair share of ups and downs. While still a student at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Zaky was commissioned by a national television station to make a live counting software for Indonesia’s 2009 presidential elections. An unexpected setback followed when a culinary venture failed to take off, but founding Bukalapak in 2010 proved to be a turning point for the then-budding entrepreneur.

From its humble beginnings as the least funded e-commerce platform in the Indonesian market, Bukalapak has now made considerable progress down the road to profitability, with a special focus on empowering Small-Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Its Series B funding rounds in 2014 and 2015 attracted big names such as 500 Startups, IREP, Aucfan and Emtek Group.

Its popular homegrown creative marketing campaigns on social media and television have also won a number of awards, making the company a favourite among Indonesian netizens. Over 2 million sellers (or pelapaks) now ply their wares on Bukalapak.com in transactions worth more than US$1 billion per year.

CEO of the Emtek Group Sutanto Hartono (left), CEO of KMK Adi Sariaatmadja (center) and CEO of Bukalapak Achmad Zaky (right) celebrate the investment in 2015. Photo credit: Liputan6.

Empowering community through innovation

Bukalapak continues to leverage on its leading position in Indonesia’s e-commerce market with new innovations such as BukaReksa (financial products) and BukaEmas (fine gold). Through these initiatives, the company hopes to foster a conducive ecosystem that provides opportunities for Indonesians all over the country. As the face and bulwark of Bukalapak, Achmad Zaky himself helps out many small businesses by making sure all the knowledge accumulated by his team is shared through various social media channels.

What’s next for Bukalapak?

These are indeed exciting times for Bukalapak and its various stakeholders. As previously mentioned, CEO Achmad Zaky will be holding a fireside chat on Day 1 of Tech in Asia Jakarta 2017, where listeners can catch up with the latest going on with Bukalapak, hear about its trends and future plans in Indonesia, and get advice on company building/expansion.

Passes are now on sale from US$197 and US$87 for international visitors and Indonesians respectively. If you secure your pass before 22 September, 2359 (GMT +7), you can even get 15 percent off the cover price with the promo code ‘tiajkt15’! Don’t miss this chance to catch Zaky as he puts any lingering doubt regarding Bukalapak’s future to bed once and for all. Get your tickets now!