Ivan Darmawan

Yo, peep this story about Ivan Darmawan, this guy is a straight-up hustler in the startup game. He’s the founder and CEO of Bakool, a Y Combinator-backed startup that’s really shaking things up in Indonesia’s tier-2 cities. Basically, he’s tackling the food supply chain by making group buying for fresh produce a thing, which is huge because that’s a market nobody’s really cracked yet.

Ivan didn’t just jump into this blindly. Before Bakool, he was grinding at some serious Southeast Asian tech giants, Traveloka and Grab. At Traveloka, he was running operations as a country biz manager, which means he’s got serious chops in managing complex logistics and scaling businesses. Then, he moved over to Grab, doing biz dev strategy, so he knows how to build partnerships, grow markets, and guide the tricky waters of fast tech environments.

He’s got a degree in Industrial Systems Engineering from USC, so, he’s got that nerdy technical background but also the business smarts. That combo? That’s what makes him dangerous. He’s all about innovation, especially in quick commerce, e-commerce, logistics, and he’s even eyeing the pharma space now, like, he’s always looking for the future trend.

What’s wild is how he co-founded Bakool with Stephanie Wongsoredjo, and they originally called it Radius. They quickly pivoted from a simple quick commerce platform into this group buying model based on real market demand and what they learned on the ground. That shows he’s all about listening to the market, adapting fast, and crushing it. Bakool’s a perfect example of his startup hustle, knowing when to pivot, when to double down, and always pushing forward.

His process screams motivation, confidence, and reliability. He’s not the type to just talk shit, he’s out there building something real, leveraging his ops and biz background, and jumping into big problems. Being part of YC W22? That’s no joke. It’s a sign he’s recognized by the top players as someone who’s got the possible to change the game.

In short, Ivan’s that guy who combines hardcore tech and business smarts with a no-bullshit attitude. He’s all about having an effect, whether it’s helping people get fresh food in smaller cities or exploring new sectors like pharma. The whole story? He’s proof that if you’re willing to learn, pivot, and hustle, you can turn big ideas into reality. No Cap, he’s one to watch in Southeast Asia’s startup scene.