Championing Startups

Arya Setiadharma fuels the gap between early and later-stage startup investments through Prasetia.

- Ulisari Eslita

Southeast Asia’s startups raised $6 billion in Q1 of 2021, but there remains a gap between early-and later-stage investing. The region’s angel investors, often seen as ‘bridge financiers’ occupying that space between a startup’s initial bootstrapping phase and proper VC rounds, remain far less visible. Data from 2019 showed that only ten involved angels of the 113 startups in Indonesia which received funding.

To fill in the gap, twin brothers, Arya Setiadharma and Ardi Setiadharma, decided to support early-stage startups since 2011 and set up Prasetia Investment five years later. Focusing on early-stage B2B startups, Prasetia has backed more than 100 startups in various industries across Southeast Asia (predominantly in Indonesia), India, and the U.S., including Qlue, BukuKas, Ekrut, Yummy Corp, and Gotrade.

Last month, we had the chance to talk with Arya Setiadharma on how he leverages his expertise, extensive network, and operating experiences in planning and executing company strategies. Here is the edited excerpt of the interview:

Forbes Indonesia (FI): What was the inspiration to being an angel investor and starting Prasetia Investment?