Fast-growing startup unlocks careers for jobless Indonesian grads

This article is a part of Startup Spotlight, a series that features young, up-and-coming startups.

Image credit: Maxy Academy

Indonesian graduates are failing to find jobs that fit their educational qualifications. Despite the rapid growth of the digital economy, they struggle to transition from university to meaningful employment, with youth unemployment at 13.4%.

That is something Indonesia’s Maxy Academy, an edtech company founded by a veteran education executive, hopes to change.

😟 Problem

• In Indonesia, around 3.5 million youths are without jobs.
• Only 25% of graduates find employment in roles matching their degrees, often due to mismatched skills or education gaps.
• Tier two and tier two universities, which lack resources to offer job-ready programs, are especially underserved.
• Digital transformation is accelerating, leading to unfilled roles despite available talent.

💡 Solution

Maxy Academy bridges the education and employment gap with the following:

• Digital career bootcamp and upskilling: Includes training in fields like cybersecurity, content creation, and UI/UX.
• AI-powered tools: Personalized learning pathways and a virtual AI mentor help guide students, offering tailored education based on their needs.
• Talent-matching AI: An interview bot and talent portal match students with job opportunities based on their skills.

Maxy also works with universities to allow students to earn up to 20 university credits through its programs.

🤝 Team

• Isaac Munandar, CEO and co-founder: he was the former executive director of Vita School, a private institution founded by his family with over 1,000 students and 150 staff members. He was also a partner at Koding Next, which bills itself Indonesia’s largest coding school with over 20 locations in Indonesia.
• Andy Febrico Bintoro, CTO and co-founder: he was previously the founder and CEO of Toro Developer Universal, an IT consultancy firm.

🛞 Traction

• Collaborated with 250-plus universities and partnered with 100-plus companies across Indonesia to deliver training programs.
• Trained over 1,500 students in its digital career bootcamp, with completion rates exceeding 80%.

🏆 Competition

Maxy Academy hopes to build a moat around:

• Strategic partnerships: It claims to have close and exclusive relationships with over 250 universities in Indonesia
• Localized edtech AI: It has custom-built AI-based tools that address specific challenges faced by Indonesian students, as described in the Solution section.

In Southeast Asia, it competes with various edtech platforms that offer vocational training. Some jobs platforms, like Glints, also aim to solve the youth employment gap in the jobs market.

See also: Mapping the key edtech players in SEA still standing

💰 Financials