Pintarnya, an Indonesian employment platform, raised a $16.7 million Series A round. Specifically, Square Peg led the funding. Existing investors Vertex Venture Southeast Asia & India and East Ventures also participated. This capital fuels its expansion of job matching and financial services in Indonesia.
Founded in 2022 by Ghirish Pokardas, Nelly Nurmalasari, and Henry Hendrawan, Pintarnya addresses critical challenges for Indonesia's job seekers. Many mass workers traditionally find jobs offline. Furthermore, their borrowing options are often limited to informal or predatory lenders.
Empowering Indonesia's Informal Workforce
Pintarnya digitizes job matching with AI, accelerating hiring processes. It also provides safer, healthier lending options. These financial services are designed around affordability, preventing deeper debt for users.
The platform specifically targets Indonesia's large blue-collar and informal workforce.
Approximately 59% of Indonesia's 150 million workforce operates in the informal sector. Consequently, these workers often struggle to access formal financial services due to a lack of verifiable income. Pintarnya partners with asset-backed lenders, offering secured loans using collateral like gold or vehicles.
Since its 2022 seed funding, Pintarnya now serves over 10 million job seekers and 40,000 employers nationwide. Additionally, its revenue has increased almost fivefold year-over-year. The company expects to reach break-even by the end of the year.
Pintarnya primarily serves users aged 21 to 40, typically with high school or diploma education. Traditional employment platforms like JobStreet and Kalibrr mainly cater to white-collar roles. Conversely, Pintarnya offers tailored experiences for blue-collar workers in Indonesia, including quick-apply options and e-learning.
Similarly, Indonesia's fintech sector often overlooks blue-collar workers. Conventional credit scoring models rely on steady income, excluding many. Pintarnya plans to expand beyond lending to micro-savings and investments.
The new funding will strengthen Pintarnya's platform technology. It will also broaden its financial service offerings through strategic partnerships. Moreover, the co-founders see substantial growth opportunities in the Indonesia jobs market and may explore regional expansion.
