What The Founder does

The Founder (operating as The Founder ID) is an Indonesia-based membership community and media platform serving early-stage startup founders, entrepreneurs, and CEOs. Founded in 2019 and headquartered in Jakarta, the company organizes its offering around three pillars: editorial media through StartupJournalist (which produces approximately 30 curated founder features per quarter), community programs through Talk The Founder (weekly curated peer sessions and meetups), and structured education through The Founder Academy (an 8-week intensive cohort program on product-market fit, growth loops, and investor readiness, priced at Rp 3,500,000 per participant). The platform reports 200+ founders in its curated network and 15,000+ combined social followers across Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

The business operates on a curated, application-gated enrollment model with two paid monthly membership tiers — Founder Access at Rp 2,750,000 and Pro Founder at Rp 3,299,000 — supplemented by one-time fees for Academy cohort participation. There is no proprietary technology stack: no app, no API, no SDK, and no software product beyond a marketing website. The underlying asset is the community itself, with go-to-market driven by editorial content marketing, organic social media, community events, and word-of-mouth referrals. The company has minimal ecosystem partnerships (SpaceAds ID and MediaStartup), no disclosed institutional capital beyond a small 2024-12 funding round from 8Ventures (~$28K), and no reported revenue. Geographic scope is currently Indonesia-focused with stated ambitions to connect founders across the broader country.

Name

The Founder

Legal name

The Founder ID

Website

https://thefounder.id

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

The Founder ID is an Indonesia-based, curated membership community and media platform for early-stage startup founders, offering paid monthly subscriptions (Rp 2.75M–3.3M), an 8-week Academy cohort (Rp 3.5M), editorial features via StartupJournalist, and weekly peer sessions under Talk The Founder.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Founder Education and Startup Community

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC), Business Planning, Pitching & Competitions (Pitch Decks, Demo Days) (EDAMAHAB), Certification & Credentialed Creator Programs (MPACALAI), Product & Innovation Summits (Roadmap, Launch Readiness, Innovation Days) (THAHAMAG)

Keywords

• Founder education
• Startup community
• Entrepreneur networking
• Cohort learning programs
• Editorial media platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Cilandak

HQ country

Indonesia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Two-tier membership model (Founder Access and Pro Founder) providing access to features, community, and media content. Payment is processed after application approval, suggesting a curated enrollment process.
2. Academy Cohort Programs: 8-week intensive cohort-based programs (The Founder Academy) with curriculum, mentorship, office hours, and demo day. Priced at Rp 3,500,000 per participant for Batch #1 in Jakarta starting August 2025.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Founder ID operates a curated membership community and education platform for startup founders in Indonesia, combining editorial storytelling through its StartupJournalist media arm, weekly peer-learning sessions (Talk The Founder), and an 8-week cohort-based academy program (The Founder Academy) covering product-market fit, growth loops, and investor readiness.

Product overview

The Founder ID is a unified platform offering three core services: Media (editorial storytelling and features through StartupJournalist), Community (events and peer networking through Talk The Founder), and Academy (cohort-based education via The Founder Academy). The platform operates on a membership model with two tiers—Founder Access and Pro Founder—providing founders access to editorial exposure, community events, and structured learning programs designed to help them scale their ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Founder Academy: 8-week intensive cohort-based program focused on product-market fit, growth loops, and investor readiness.
• Talk The Founder
• StartupJournalist

Products and services

• The Founder Academy 8-week intensive cohort-based learning program for founders focused on product-market fit, growth loops, and investor readiness, including 3 mentors, weekly office hours, demo day, and investor spotlight. Priced at Rp 3,500,000 per participant for Batch #1 Jakarta.
• StartupJournalist Editorial media platform featuring founder stories, investigative pieces, and founder diaries that position founders for credibility and attention. Produces approximately 30 curated features per quarter.
• Talk The Founder Weekly curated community sessions where founders share raw, real stories to enable peer-to-peer learning and networking within the member base.
• Founder Access Membership Entry-level monthly membership tier providing access to media features, community events, and the founder network. Priced at Rp 2,750,000 per month with curated application-based enrollment.
• Pro Founder Membership Premium monthly membership tier with enhanced access to media features, community programs, and networking opportunities beyond the Founder Access tier. Priced at Rp 3,299,000 per month with curated application-based enrollment.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• SpaceAds IDminorOthersPartner logo displayed in the 'Our Partners & Ecosystem' section of the website. SpaceAds ID is a digital advertising or marketing services company based in Indonesia.
• MediaStartupminorOthersPartner logo displayed in the 'Our Partners & Ecosystem' section. MediaStartup is an Indonesian startup media platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Y Combinator (Startup School): Y Combinator's Startup School offers free online founder education and a global community. Directly comparable as a founder education and community platform, though at much larger scale and broader geographic reach.
• Station F: Station F is the world's largest startup campus in Paris, offering founder programs, residencies, and community. Comparable as a founder community hub combining education, events, and ecosystem support.

Direct peers

• Founder Institute: Founder Institute runs pre-seed accelerator programs and founder training cohorts globally, including Southeast Asia. Closely comparable business model of structured founder education combined with mentorship and community.
• Antler: Antler is a global early-stage VC and accelerator running cohort programs for founders in Southeast Asia (including Indonesia). Comparable as a cohort-based founder development platform with mentorship and investor access.
• Startup Grind: Startup Grind operates a global community of founders with events, content, and educational programs. Comparable membership-driven founder community model with content and event pillars.

Regional players

• Tech in Asia: Tech in Asia is the leading regional media and events platform covering Southeast Asian startups. Comparable as a founder-focused media and community brand operating in the same Indonesia/SEA market.
• DailySocial.id: DailySocial is an Indonesia-focused startup media platform covering founders, funding, and ecosystem news. Comparable regional media player targeting the same Indonesian founder audience.
• Indigo (Telkom Indonesia): Indigo is Telkom Indonesia's startup accelerator and innovation program running cohort-based founder development in Indonesia. Comparable regional accelerator model targeting Indonesian founders.
• Plug and Play Indonesia: Plug and Play runs corporate and startup accelerator programs in Indonesia. Comparable as a corporate-backed founder accelerator platform operating in the same Indonesian market.

Emerging players

• Compass.id (Startup Coaching): Compass is an Indonesia-based startup coaching and education platform serving early-stage founders. Comparable as an emerging Indonesian founder education and community player with overlapping target audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Founder