Init 6 is making an early bet on this Indonesian coding test firm

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Nearly two decades ago, my primary school announced the introduction of a computer science class at a morning assembly. It was quite rare for schools in my hometown in Chennai, India at the time to even have computers, let alone enough of them to conduct classes. So this was a big deal and an eight-year-old me was nervous.

With trepidation, I dragged my feet towards the computer lab – a small air-conditioned room with about 15 boxed desktop computers, a true ode to hardware of the era.

But I quickly realized there was nothing to be afraid of, as my first class was a two-minute lesson on how to minimize a web browser (no joke). It only took that long because two kids had to share each monitor.

Looking back now, there clearly wasn’t a well-thought-out curriculum for the class, but the experience makes me chuckle. Luckily, major strides have been made in teaching computer science in schools since then, with India’s National Education Policy 2020 making coding a mandatory subject from class 6.

Just like with the laws of math and principles of science, people will soon be familiar with coding at a young age. This highlights the growing importance of the subject in a technology-driven society. For example, a glance at the attrition rates at some of India’s IT firms will show that demand for quality technical talent is on the rise.

However, it is no easy task for recruiters to separate the best from the rest in these industries and that’s where Indonesia-based Algobash steps in. Today’s premium story highlights what the firm offers and why Init 6, the VC firm established by two Bukalapak co-founders, became the developer skills company’s first external backer.

Today we look at:

• Why Init 6 invested early in this Indonesian coding test firm
• Hodlnaut laying off 80% of its workforce
• Other newsy highlights Indonesia halting registrations for prospective crypto asset traders and Funding Societies taking on more debt

Premium summary

In search of top talent

Image credit: Timmy Loen

Algobash aims to help recruiters identify quality coders who can write efficient, readable, scalable and maintainable code. The firm offers a tool that helps employers filter top-notch programmers through coding test solutions and pre-employment assessments.

The Indonesian startup has also rolled out a B2C business line that offers coding courses to help developers improve their programming skills. With the capital from Init 6, Algobash plans to ramp up its marketing capabilities, particularly to further tap the B2C audience.

Wielding the ax

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