Last weekend, I had the opportunity to meet one of my dear colleagues and friends, Rik van Eck, for a humble Sate Taichan dinner near Senayan, Jakarta.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary evening — two friends sharing food, exchanging stories, and catching up on life. But as often happens when passionate people sit together, the conversation quickly evolved into something much deeper.
We talked about software development, artificial intelligence, the changing technology landscape, and most importantly, the challenges faced by small businesses and local communities today.
As technology professionals, it’s easy to become fascinated by the latest frameworks, cloud platforms, AI models, and emerging trends. Yet throughout our discussion, we kept returning to a simple question:
“How can technology genuinely help people create opportunities during difficult times?”
The reality is that many small businesses are navigating uncertainty. Markets are changing faster than ever. Competition is increasing. AI is transforming industries. Many entrepreneurs are looking for new ways to survive, adapt, and grow.
Rather than seeing these challenges as obstacles, we saw them as opportunities to build products that matter.
Some of the most impactful products in the world didn’t begin in boardrooms with million-dollar budgets. They started with conversations. They started with curiosity. They started with people asking:
“What problem can we solve together?”
Over plates of spicy Sate Taichan, we sketched ideas, challenged assumptions, and explored possibilities. Some ideas were ambitious. Some sounded impossible. Some may never leave the drawing board.
But a few felt different.
A few carried the potential to become something valuable—not just for businesses, but for communities seeking new ways to connect, collaborate, and create opportunities.
Will every product idea succeed?
Probably not.
But innovation has never been about certainty.
It’s about taking the first step, testing assumptions, learning quickly, and continuously improving. Every successful product, platform, or breakthrough technology began as an experiment before it became a solution.
As we wrapped up the evening, we agreed on one thing:
This year, we will build products.
We will transform ideas into prototypes, validate them with real users, and learn from every iteration. Our goal is not simply to create technology for the sake of technology, but to build solutions that can help small businesses and communities discover new opportunities in an increasingly challenging world.
Perhaps one of these ideas will become a diamond hidden within a rough stone.
Perhaps one of them will help entrepreneurs grow their businesses.
Perhaps one of them will empower communities to connect and collaborate in ways that were previously impossible.
And even if not, the journey itself will be worthwhile.
Because progress doesn’t always begin with a business plan, funding round, or corporate strategy.
Sometimes it starts with two friends, a simple Sate Taichan dinner, a notebook full of ideas, and a shared belief that technology should create opportunities for people.
Here’s to building products, solving meaningful problems, and creating value for the communities we serve.
What meaningful conversation recently inspired your next big idea?
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