How a Monthly Startup Meetup Led to Building Telunjuk.com in Indonesia
In this article
- How a Community Meetup Became a Startup Launchpad
- Why This Kind of Meetup Works
- The Birth of Telunjuk.com: From Idea to Team
- The Real Cost of Starting a Business
- How Telunjuk.com Works: One Platform, Many Shops
- What Indonesian Shoppers Really Care About
- The Hidden Challenge: Hustling Without a Safety Net
- What's Next for Telunjuk.com and #StartupLokal
- Key Takeaways
A monthly meetup in Jakarta brought together teenagers, seasoned professionals, and investors, united by a shared belief that anyone, anywhere, can start a business. That community became the foundation for Telunjuk.com, a platform that simplifies online shopping by aggregating products from hundreds of e-commerce stores. The journey from idea to launch wasn't fast, and it wasn't easy. But the founder, Redia Febrianto, says the real breakthrough came not from a brilliant plan, but from showing up, again and again, at a gathering where no one asked for a resume, just a willingness to try.
How a Community Meetup Became a Startup Launchpad
The monthly #StartupLokal meetup isn't a formal event. There's no membership fee, no strict agenda, and no gatekeeping. It's open to anyone, engineers, non-technical founders, investors, and even students as young as middle school. One attendee, a 15-year-old, had already registered a PT (a legal business entity) while still in school. That's not a joke. It's a sign of how deeply the idea of entrepreneurship has taken root.
"We're so happy to inspire young people who are this age. I often show a slide with websites built by high school students. It's not a gimmick. It's real."
The event is held in the evening, from 6 PM to 10 PM, often running late. It's not about networking for a job or a pitch. It's about connection. Founders meet hustlers. Developers meet product people. People with no experience meet those who've failed and tried again. The space is liquid, no structure, no hierarchy. That's the point.
Why This Kind of Meetup Works
- No membership or registration required.
- Free food and drinks are provided, thanks to sponsor support.
- The only rule: show up.
- Attendees range from 50-year-olds to teenagers.
- The focus is on learning, sharing, and finding people who are willing to take action.
The environment is built for people who aren't waiting for permission. It's for those who are already doing something, even if it's just a prototype on a laptop. The goal isn't to impress. It's to get started.
Join #StartupLokal
The community has been meeting in Jakarta since April 2010. Registering is free and takes a minute.
The Birth of Telunjuk.com: From Idea to Team
Redia didn't start Telunjuk.com with a team. He didn't even have a product. He had an idea: make online shopping easier by bringing all the options into one place. But he didn't know how to build it, or how to grow it. He was working a full-time job at a telecom company. That's when he found #StartupLokal.
"I saw this community and thought, this might be the place to turn my idea into something real."
He attended meetings. He shared his idea. People responded. Some offered advice. Others asked to join. Within months, a small group formed. They weren't investors. They weren't employees. They were fellow builders. They worked on the idea in their free time. They tested it. They argued about design. They kept going.
The turning point came when the team decided to leave their safe jobs. It wasn't a sudden leap. It was months of hesitation, fear, and doubt. Redia remembers the moment he quit.
"I was scared. I had a family. I had bills. But I knew if I didn't try now, I never would."
They didn't quit to become rich. They quit to build something they believed in. And that belief, more than any business plan, kept them going through the hardest months.
The Real Cost of Starting a Business
- The first few months brought no income.
- Both founders had families to support.
- The pressure was constant.
- They didn't know if the product would work.
- They didn't know if anyone would use it.
But they kept going. And slowly, things started to change.
How Telunjuk.com Works: One Platform, Many Shops
Today, Telunjuk.com is a search engine for online products. It pulls data from around 60 e-commerce stores, mostly small, independent shops that don't have the reach of big platforms. These stores pay to be listed, and Telunjuk.com earns a commission when a user makes a purchase through the site.
The user experience is simple: instead of visiting multiple stores to compare prices, you go to Telunjuk.com. You search for a product. You see all the options in one place. You see prices. You see trust signals. You decide.
"We don't just list products. We make sure the shops are real. We verify them. We want users to trust what they see."
The platform isn't just about price. It's about choice. And it's about trust. Many users still pick a slightly more expensive product because they recognize the brand. That's a signal: people aren't just shopping for the cheapest option. They're shopping for something they believe in.
What Indonesian Shoppers Really Care About
- Price is still the top factor.
- Brand trust matters, especially for familiar names.
- Users prefer platforms that make comparisons easy.
- They want to avoid wasting time searching across multiple sites.
The platform works because it solves a real problem: online shopping is overwhelming. There are too many stores. Too many prices. Too many choices. Telunjuk.com cuts through the noise.
Know when the next one is
Meetups are announced in the WhatsApp group.
The Hidden Challenge: Hustling Without a Safety Net
Redia says the hardest part wasn't building the product. It was surviving the uncertainty.
"I didn't know if we'd make money. I didn't know if anyone would come. I just knew I had to keep going."
For months, there was no income. No revenue. Just two people working on a dream, with rent to pay and children to feed. The fear was real. The doubt was constant. But the team kept building. They listened to users. They fixed bugs. They added features.
And slowly, the numbers turned. Traffic grew. Sales came in. The platform became self-sustaining.
"Now we're happier. Not just because we earn more. But because we're doing something we love."
That's the real win. Not the money. Not the growth. The freedom to build something meaningful.
What's Next for Telunjuk.com and #StartupLokal
Redia has bigger plans. He wants to expand Telunjuk.com beyond shopping. He's thinking about helping high school students choose a college. Not just by listing schools, but by offering guidance, advice, and real stories from people who've been there.
"We want to be a guide for young people. Not just in business, but in life."
For #StartupLokal, the vision is even broader. The community started in 2010. Back then, the goal was simple: by 2020, Indonesia would have at least one startup that went public. That's not a stretch anymore. The ecosystem is growing fast.
"When a startup goes public, it changes how the world sees Indonesia. It builds trust. It opens doors."
The community's role isn't to find the next unicorn. It's to keep the door open for anyone who wants to try. It's about persistence. About showing up. About believing that a small idea, shared with the right people, can grow into something real.
Key Takeaways
- #StartupLokal's monthly meetups are open to anyone, with no fees or membership.
- The real value is connection, not pitches, not jobs, but finding people who are willing to act.
- Telunjuk.com started as an idea at a meetup, not in a boardroom.
- Building a startup means facing months of uncertainty and no income.
- Success isn't just financial, it's about doing work you believe in and making a real difference.
