How a Monthly Startup Meetup Led to Building Telunjuk.com in Indonesia

A monthly meetup in Jakarta brought together engineers, investors, and teenagers as young as middle school—some already running their own companies. One of them, Redia Febrianto, used that space to turn an idea into Telunjuk.com, a platform that helps users find products across hundreds of online stores in one place. The journey was not easy, but the community, mentorship, and persistence made it possible.

How a Startup Community Grew From a Monthly Meetup

The Startup Lokal meetup happens once a month and draws 150 to 200 people. Attendees come from all walks of life. Some are seasoned professionals in their 50s. Others are teenagers who already have a company registered. One young attendee started a PT while still in middle school. The founder of Telunjuk.com says he often shows slides of websites built by high school students to remind others that age is not a barrier to building something real.

The event is open to everyone. There is no membership fee, no formal structure. It is free to attend, includes food, and runs from late afternoon until 10 PM. The only requirement is to show up. The founder says the organizers are all entrepreneurs themselves, so they don’t have time to build complex systems. The goal is simple: create a space where ideas can meet people.

Why informal gatherings matter for startups

In a country with many formal business associations, Startup Lokal stands out because it is not structured. There is no official board, no rules, no registration. Yet it works. The founder says the real value is in the connections. People come not just to hear talks, but to find people who can help them build.

He explains that finding a real hustler—someone who is driven, willing to take risks, and not afraid of failure—is harder than finding a developer or a designer. These people often don’t show up in online forums. They are not active on social media. But in a physical meetup, they appear. The space becomes a melting pot where people from different backgrounds meet by chance and form teams.

The Birth of Telunjuk.com from a Meetup Idea

Telunjuk.com began not in a boardroom, but in a conversation at one of these meetups. The founder was still working a full-time job when he first attended. He had an idea for a product but didn’t know how to turn it into a business. He saw the Startup Lokal community as a way to learn, connect, and grow.

He joined the meetup, shared his idea, and eventually got support from other members. A program was launched to help teams develop their ideas. After several months of working on the concept, the founder and his team decided to leave their stable jobs and focus on building the business full time.

What Telunjuk.com does for users

Telunjuk.com acts as a search engine for online products. Instead of visiting multiple e-commerce sites—A, B, C, D—users go to one place. The platform aggregates data from over 60 online stores, all of which have signed a special agreement. These stores pay to be listed, and Telunjuk.com earns a commission when a user makes a purchase through the platform.

The platform does not sell products itself. It connects users to sellers. It also ensures that only trusted stores appear. The founder says the goal is to save users time and reduce the mental load of shopping online. The entire process is designed around one question: What product should I buy, and from whom?

What Indonesian Online Shoppers Really Care About

When asked about consumer behavior in Indonesia, the founder says price remains the top factor. People are highly price-sensitive. But beyond that, brand trust plays a big role. Many users will choose a slightly more expensive product if they recognize the seller’s name or have used their service before.

This insight shaped how Telunjuk.com presents results. The platform doesn’t just show the cheapest option. It highlights stores with strong reputations, even if the price is slightly higher. The founder says this balance between price and trust is what users actually want.

How the platform earns money

Telunjuk.com makes money through a revenue-sharing model. When a user clicks on a product and buys it, the store pays a commission. The platform does not charge users. It only earns when a sale happens. This model keeps the user experience clean and focused on value.

The founder says they are not trying to be a marketplace. They are a discovery tool. Their job is to help users find what they want faster, not to control the transaction.

The Real Challenges of Leaving a Stable Job

The founder admits that quitting a full-time job was not a leap to instant success. The first few months were tough. There was no income. Both he and his partner had families to support. The pressure was intense. He says he was nervous every day, wondering if they would make it.

But they kept going. They worked on the product, tested features, reached out to stores, and slowly built a user base. After months of struggle, they started seeing results. The business grew. The income increased. Most importantly, they became happier.

Why happiness matters in entrepreneurship

The founder says the real win was not the money. It was the freedom to build something they believed in. They no longer worked for a company. They built their own. They made decisions. They saw impact. That sense of purpose brought more joy than a stable salary ever did.

He says people often think that leaving a job means immediate success. That is not true. The path is long. It involves setbacks, uncertainty, and fear. But the reward is not just financial—it is personal. Building something from nothing changes who you are.

What’s Next for Telunjuk.com and the Startup Community

Looking ahead, the founder has two goals. First, to grow Telunjuk.com into a platform that helps students choose universities. He sees a gap in guidance for high schoolers trying to pick a college. The platform could offer advice, compare programs, and connect students with mentors.

Second, to keep growing the Startup Lokal community. The founder believes that by 2020, Indonesia could have at least one startup that goes public. That moment would change how the world sees Indonesian startups. Investors would start talking in trillions, not millions. The community’s role is to keep building, learning, and staying persistent.

How to get involved in the startup scene

The founder encourages anyone—especially young people—to join the meetup. You don’t need a degree, a business plan, or even a product. Just show up. The space is open. The people are real. The stories are real.

He says the best way to learn is by doing. The worst thing is to wait. If you have an idea, bring it to a meetup. If you’re unsure, come anyway. You might meet someone who can help. You might find a team. You might start something.

Key Takeaways

• Startup Lokal is a monthly meetup in Jakarta with no fees, no membership, and no formal rules. It attracts people from all ages and backgrounds, including teenagers who already run companies.
• Telunjuk.com was born from an idea shared at a Startup Lokal meetup. The founder left a stable job after months of working on the idea with support from the community.
• The platform helps users find products across many online stores in one place, focusing on trust and ease of use, not just price.
• Indonesian shoppers prioritize price but also trust brand reputation, which shapes how Telunjuk.com displays results.
• Building a startup is not a quick path to success. It requires persistence, financial risk, and emotional resilience. The real reward is the ability to create something meaningful.