From Bangkit to Developing Own Startup “KerjaGo”

Technology solves practically almost ANY problem in our society these days. This mainstreaming of tech can be seen in the rise of startups, also in Indonesia. In fact, according to Katadata, this country ranks 5th with the largest number of startups in the world (2022). People could obtain what they need in an easy-to-use application.

Building a tech-based startup is indeed an ideal dream for many, especially for youths. Kaenova Mahendra Auditama (22) is one of them. This Bangkit alumni built “KerjaGo” with his team of Bangkit mates. How was the story? How did the learning process culminate into building a startup like KerjaGo?

Kaenova’s Preparation in Joining Bangkit

Kaenova Mahendra Auditama, or he goes by “Kae,” has long determined that technology would be his compass toward finding a career path. He loves everything about computers, starting from his childhood times when he spent a lot of time in front of the desktop. No wonder that he chose Informatics Engineering as his study major in university.

Back in his freshman year in Universitas Telkom, Kae once watched a video regarding the Bangkit opening ceremony through Google’s Youtube channel; thus, it left a lingering thought that he really wanted to join the program. Seeing the capable figures there convinced him that he could pursue both hard and soft skills for career preparation.

Knowing that Bangkit is a highly competitive program, Kae deepened his calculus and integral courses almost every day so that he’d be more ready to apply for the Machine Learning path.

In addition to practicing by himself, he also conducted some team projects with his university mates, so that he could channel his interest in technology and business application.

After patiently waiting for three years, he had finally met the requirements to apply. The result? He was so thrilled that he got accepted from among 64,000 applicants in Bangkit 2021.

“Joining Bangkit gives me a bunch of opportunities to expand my knowledge. It also gives me the motivation to be one step ahead of the others.”

What Kaenova Did During Bangkit

The 900 hours of learning were Kae’s challenging part in finishing Bangkit. Although he was busy managing between regular courses and Bangkit, he felt that utilizing Google Calendar greatly assisted him. On some critical days, he also worked on the assignment during weekends.

During Bangkit, Kae and his team obtained the chance to run the Company-Based Capstone Project from Traveloka after submitting a proposal. Among 19 teams selected, they got an award for “the best” project and ranked number one.

 
Moreover, the team members are Bagja 9102 Kurniawan (Universitas Telkom), Michael Georgisva (Universitas Presiden), Jessica Jesslyn Cerelia (Universitas Padjadjaran), Kiki Abdullah (Binus Online Learning), Farel Arden (Universitas Presiden), Freddy Andreas Chandra (Universitas Nusa Mandiri), Jaka Asa Baldan Ahmad (Universitas Negeri Malang), Christopher Alvin Buana (Universitas Presiden), and Zendy Bramantya Alfareza (Universitas Telkom). They grabbed the third place by managing HotelBli, an application that gives the hospitality industry recommendations to the user.

However, their achievement was not a cup of tea. They were humbled by the fact that they still have tons to learn in terms of skills and experience. On a more technical note, they also learned that this hospitality field depends so much on product management.

Business would surely gain considerable revenue if the product were managed by appropriately addressing customer needs. For that purpose, maintaining communication among many divisions within a company is essential.

To support their Capstone project, Kae and team felt very fortunate to have learned seven soft skills topics from Bangkit. In his opinion, “Start-Up Valuation” is the highlight which significantly helped him and the team to manage their product.

Many opportunities have come his way after Bangkit has ended. He received an offer from a university to collaborate toward building a website. He emphasizes twice that soft skills from Bangkit, especially time management and professional communication, are totally worth-it and helpful for him to get such a chance.

After gaining knowledge from Bangkit, one of his visions is to plan and manage projects more effectively.

Developing KerjaGo to Accommodate Job Seekers

After 5 months in Bangkit with its many learning curves, he was thrilled to graduate from Bangkit with flying colors. He completed this program with a distinction status and TensorFlow Developer Certification as a bonus of his hard work!

He claims that his experience in the Company-Based Capstone Project contributes to his proficiency in working on the Machine Learning scope. Combining it with his background and drive toward initiating a business, Kae built KerjaGo.

The app accommodates fresh graduates or anyone preparing for a job application through two services, namely CV review, and interview simulation. On the other hand, he felt delighted with the professional branding and interview communication soft skills he gained during Bangkit.

Kae is not alone in his venture. He works with his team who’s in charge of customers and talent as well as another sub-team who’s in charge of operating this platform. KerjaGo crew is seven persons in total, with two among them are his fellows in Bangkit. They are Zendy Bramantya Alfareza from Mobile Development learning path and Shabrina Retno from Cloud Computing learning path who are Kae’s university mates as well.

When using the app, users need to follow the four steps which are to register as a member through the available form, select the desired service, pay the bill, and enjoy the service.

Kae feels grateful that his innovation can help many people. Some of his users are accepted to intern abroad or offered as full-time workers in reputable companies.

That excitement continues to drive Kae to develop KerjaGo. After that, he plans to do expansion by recruiting partners with organizations or participating in related events to introduce his platform to the public, gaining their trust.

“My career-wise in a year is to get into a start-up as DevOps Engineer and the founder. Thanks to Bangkit for doing a great job with the materials that support my readiness to jump into this sector.”

Learning from his short experience just yet, Kae believes that technology will lead people to have an open mindset by welcoming all changes and feedback from others. For that reason, he wants to continue learning and getting feedback from the Bangkit ecosystem. No wonder that this year Kae just started his role as Machine Learning Mentor and Facilitator in Bangkit. Good luck, Kae!

More stories about Bangkit alumni and Cohort:

1. Fatiha Agyal Shahwiya - Discovering a Whole New World as a Data Analyst
2. Dimas Rafi Ramaharmuzi - Time Management is the Key to Self-Improvement
3. Rendy Mahaputra - Life-Transforming Experience from Bangkit Incubation Project