Pintarnya Secures $16.7M to Boost Jobs and Financial Services for Indonesian Workers

Series A Funding Led by Square Peg

Indonesian employment platform Pintarnya has successfully raised $16.7 million in Series A funding, with the round led by Square Peg and participation from existing investors Vertex Ventures Southeast Asia & India and East Ventures. This milestone underscores the company’s growing impact in bridging employment opportunities with accessible financial services.

Founding Vision and Mission

Founded in 2022 by Ghirish Pokardas, Nelly Nurmalasari, and Henry Hendrawan, Pintarnya was established to address two critical challenges faced by Indonesian workers: earning sufficient income and accessing fair financial services.

Co-founder Henry Hendrawan explained in an interview with TechCrunch:

“Traditionally, mass workers in Indonesia find jobs offline through job fairs or word of mouth, with employers buried in paper applications and candidates rarely hearing back. For borrowing, their options are often limited to family/friend or predatory lenders with harsh collection practices. We digitize job matching with AI to make hiring faster and we provide workers with safer, healthier lending options — designed around what they can reasonably afford, rather than pushing them deeper into debt.”

Addressing the Informal Workforce

Indonesia’s labor market reflects the depth of this problem, with 59% of its 150 million workforce employed in the informal sector. This makes it particularly difficult for workers without formal income records or employment contracts to access traditional financial services.

To tackle this, Pintarnya collaborates with asset-backed lenders to offer secured loans against collateral such as gold, electronics, or vehicles. This approach provides underserved workers with safer borrowing options compared to predatory alternatives.

Rapid Growth Since 2022

Since securing seed funding in 2022, Pintarnya has grown significantly:

• 10 million job seekers and 40,000 employers now use the platform nationwide.
• Revenue has grown fivefold year-over-year.
• The company expects to reach break-even by year-end.

Pintarnya’s user base primarily consists of individuals aged 21 to 40, most of whom have high school diplomas or lower-level qualifications, positioning the platform as a vital resource for Indonesia’s large blue-collar and informal workforce.

Hendrawan highlighted the evolution of the platform’s mission:

“Through the journey of building employment services, we discovered that our users needed more than just jobs — they needed access to financial services that traditional banks couldn’t provide.”

Filling the Gaps Left by Existing Platforms

While platforms like JobStreet, Kalibrr, and Glints cater largely to white-collar workers, Pintarnya focuses squarely on blue-collar workers, offering:

• Quick-apply features for walk-in interviews.
• Affordable e-learning programs for skill-building.
• In-app gig opportunities for supplemental income.
• Direct access to financial services, including safer lending options.

Similarly, Indonesia’s fintech sector has traditionally focused on middle- and upper-class consumers, leaving blue-collar workers without access to fair financial products. Pintarnya’s AI-driven matching and lending services aim to bridge this gap.

Financial Services in Demand

When asked about which services resonate most with users, Hendrawan noted:

“Given their employment status, lending is the most in-demand financial service for Pintarnya’s users today. We are planning to ‘graduate’ them to micro-savings and investments down the road through innovative products with our partners.”

Future Plans and Expansion

With the new Series A funding, Pintarnya plans to:

• Strengthen its platform technology.
• Expand financial service offerings through strategic partnerships.
• Explore regional expansion across Southeast Asia in the future.

Looking ahead, Hendrawan shared Pintarnya’s long-term vision:

“Our vision is for Pintarnya to be the everyday companion that empowers Indonesians to not only make ends meet today, but also plan, grow, and upgrade their lives tomorrow … In five years, we see Pintarnya as the go-to super app for Indonesia’s workers, not just for earning income, but as a trusted partner throughout their life journey.”

Conclusion

By directly addressing the unique challenges faced by Indonesia’s informal and blue-collar workforce, Pintarnya is positioning itself as more than just a job platform. With strong investor backing and a growing user base, it is steadily building toward its ambition of becoming a super app for workers, combining employment opportunities with inclusive financial services.

Author: Din Kumar