The Dynamics of Startup Founders and Leaders: from CEO to Employee

There are many reasons when startup founders finally decide to join a startup or technology company that already has a big name. Starting from the process of mergers and acquisitions or different opportunities that can be explored.

We would like to further understand how their process adapts back to different situations. DailySocial interviewed Calvin Kizana (Founder Picmix and is now the COO and Head of the GoPlay Platform), Kevin Mintaraga (Founder Bride story and is currently VP of Tokopedia after the acquisition), and Johnny Widodo (CEO of BeliMobilGue and now CEO of OLX Autos after the acquisition).

Adaptation process

Kevin Mintaraga has track record It's good to be a company founder. He has experienced at least two instances of his company being acquired by larger entities.

Regarding the adaptation process after leaving the position as CEO, Kevin said that the most important adjustments were: change perspective following the new company culture. He believes that the company's vision and mission will become its own compass in working.

"Apart from that, speed is needed in adopting technology, the ability to read market needs and their very dynamic changes in the current digital era, and the mind to continue moving forward and be open to new ideas in order to create the best innovations - which can make the lives of Indonesian people easier. Kevin said.

The adaptation process seamless pattern and Calvin Kizana also did it in harmony when he officially joined Gojek Group. When he joined a new company, he felt that he had the same vision and mission and enthusiasm to develop the company to be even better. It is hoped that his contribution can encourage the acceleration of technological innovation to answer market needs and collaborate optimally to develop products with a larger team.

"One of the important values ​​I learned while at Gojek is the company's vision that prioritizes 'it's not about you' which is the basic principle in collaborating and adapting to a new environment. Decision making cannot be done unilaterally and must also be done with full calculation and consideration involving various matters stakeholders," said Calvin.

The main key when making adjustments to a new workplace and position, according to Calvin, is quickly learn existing structures, learn to balance egos, and understand how to collaborate optimally to achieve company goals.

"Leadership sebagai startup founders "Also plays a very important role in delegating work and encouraging maximum team performance in order to achieve company goals," said Calvin.

According to Johnny Widodo, a startup founder is usually someone who is full of drive and passion. When you start to become part of a large family of a new company, there are many things you have to pay attention to.

"So the founders of these startups must be able to adapt managing stakeholders vs shareholders. "Be more patient in waiting for processes that may be more bureaucratic and also learn to have a boss/manager," said Johnny.

Ethically, in general all intellectual property (IP) and technology developed in the previous startup may not be carried over to the new startup, especially if both startups operate in the same vertical and if the startup where the employee previously worked is still fully operational. This can cause conflict of interests.

Usually startup employees must jointly agree on an NDA. If you already have investors, the same thing also applies to startup founders and investors in the startup.

"If the startup that was founded turns out to fail and founder startup then work at another startup/company, we have to pay attention arrangement which has been agreed between the founder and investors as stated in shareholders agreement. In essence, when moving to a startup, both employees and employees startup founders must respect intellectual property (IP) and knowledge obtained from previous startups -- with reference to the agreement contained in agreement between the employee/founder with previous startups," said Calvin.

Johnny said the same thing. There are many secret things that the startup founder knows. High business ethics must be applied so that undesirable things do not happen in the future.

"Every company must have its own NDA to guarantee the professionalism of its workers, and Tokopedia is no exception. Every Nakama must comply with this in order to maintain healthy business continuity," said Kevin.

The phenomenon of employee turnover

Currently, the movement of startup employees from one place to another has become a frequently encountered phenomenon. Every individual has their own goals, including in their career.

Considering that building a career tends to take up most of a person's time, this is very important Look for a company that is in line with your life goals. As time goes by, goals may change. This, according to Kevin, could be one of the factors why someone changes companies.

"My current life goal is in line with Tokopedia, which consistently encourages equal distribution of the Indonesian economy through the use of technology even in the midst of a pandemic. So my team and I continue to present various initiatives that can accelerate the realization of this great mission," said Kevin.

Meanwhile, according to Calvin, the company's role in producing a positive impact on the environment and society is also an aspect of consideration for employees to work for the company.

"In general, employees will continue to stay in a company that provides challenges, opportunities to learn, and enthusiasm to continue to develop. In addition, today's professional talents are not only oriented towards benefits", but also on how employees can play a role and contribute significantly to the progress of the company and society," said Calvin.