Startup advice from four female entrepreneurs on ‘Kartini Day’

Exactly one week ago all of Indonesia celebrated the birth of Raden Adjeng Kartini, a Javanese woman – now a national heroine – who represents the female struggle for equal rights.

Commemorating Kartini Day, local tech community FemaleDev hosted an event where four female startup leaders told stories of how they got started as tech entrepreneurs – and what they’ve learnt since.

Start your company with good intentions

Friesca Saputra, co-founder of Ovula.

Friesca Saputra is a young doctor who decided to build an app called Ovula. Women can use this tool to track their fertility cycles. Tracking this cycle closely is a natural form of family planning, because it helps women understand when they can get pregnant.

According to Friesca, those wanting to embark on the startup journey should start with the intention to do something good. “Begin with a motivation to do something for other people. This can help you find the strength to keep going, until that goal is achieved,” said Friesca.

She said she doesn’t think it’s problematic that women tend to prefer building businesses in social fields. According to her, it’s consistent with a woman’s predisposition. “Women are more sensitive to issues,” she argued

Experiment and fail fast

Leonika Sari, founder of Reblood,.

Unlike Friesca who built her business after she became a doctor, Leonika Sari began her entrepreneurial journey while she was still in college. According to her, being a student gave her the flexibility to try something new.

“Don’t be afraid to try. If you fail, that will help you understand what you can and what you can’t do the next day,” said Leo.

Leo also suggested founders need to get creative about using the resources available to them. She reminded aspiring entrepreneurs to not just wait for something big to happen to them, because then you’re just keeping yourself busy but not getting anywhere.

“Think about that the next time you make Nasi Goreng (fried rice, a national dish). Try using only things you already have in your fridge, don’t go straight to the supermarket,” said Leo.

Women don’t need to be sweet

A strong team is everything