Pintarnya Raises $16.7M to Improve Job and Financial Services in Indonesia

Pintarnya, an inventive employment platform from Indonesia, melds financial services with opportunities for both full-time and gig work. It has successfully raised $16.7 million in its Series A funding round.

The funding round was led by Square Peg, with contributions from existing investors Vertex Venture Southeast Asia & India and East Ventures.

Established in 2022 by Ghirish Pokardas, Nelly Nurmalasari, and Henry Hendrawan, Pintarnya aims to tackle two significant challenges in Indonesia: providing sufficient income and encouraging responsible borrowing habits.

“Historically, job seekers in Indonesia have depended on offline approaches such as job fairs and personal referrals, resulting in numerous paper applications and inefficient tracking of candidates. Similarly, borrowing often relies on personal networks or predatory lenders,” said Henry Hendrawan, co-founder of Pintarnya, in an interview with TechCrunch. “By utilizing AI, we improve job matching, streamline hiring processes, and offer safer, more responsible lending solutions that focus on affordability to reduce the risk of growing debt.”

Around 59% of Indonesia’s workforce, totaling 150 million people, is involved in the informal sector, making it challenging for them to access formal financial services due to inconsistent income and lack of official employment records.

To address this issue, Pintarnya partners with asset-backed lenders to offer secured loans against collateral like gold, electronics, or vehicles, as highlighted by Hendrawan.

Since its inception in 2022, the platform has connected over 10 million job seekers with 40,000 employers across the nation. Its annual revenue has nearly quintupled, with expectations of reaching profitability by the end of the year, according to Hendrawan. Pintarnya primarily serves users aged 21 to 40, mainly targeting individuals with a high school education or less, focusing on this underserved segment of Indonesia’s vast blue-collar and informal labor market.

“As we expanded our employment services, we recognized that our users required more than just job placements—they needed access to essential financial solutions often absent in traditional banking,” Hendrawan elaborated. “By digitizing job matching with AI, we can accelerate the hiring process while providing safer, more sustainable lending options that align with workers’ financial realities instead of exacerbating their debt burdens.”

Unlike platforms such as JobStreet, Kalibrr, and Glints that primarily focus on white-collar jobs—only a minor aspect of the overall workforce—Pintarnya emphasizes blue-collar workers. The platform offers unique features such as expedited application processes for walk-in interviews, accessible e-learning resources, in-app channels for supplementary income, and simple access to financial services like loans.

This trend aligns with Indonesia’s fintech landscape, which has mostly targeted white-collar or upper-middle-class clients. Traditional credit evaluations often overlook blue-collar workers lacking stable income or established banking histories, according to Hendrawan.

When questioned about the most sought-after fintech services among users, Hendrawan stated, “In light of their employment situations, lending is the most demanded financial service within Pintarnya’s user demographic. We aim to help them transition to micro-savings and investment options in the future through innovative partnerships.”

The recent funding will bolster Pintarnya’s technological infrastructure and expand its financial service offerings via strategic collaborations. With most Indonesian workers engaged in blue-collar and informal positions, the co-founders see significant growth potential within the domestic market, planning for regional expansion at the right time, drawing on their extensive experience in managing operations across Southeast Asia.

“Our vision for Pintarnya is to be a daily partner that empowers Indonesians to not only meet their immediate needs but also to plan for, cultivate, and enhance their quality of life over time. In five years, we hope for Pintarnya to evolve into an essential super app for Indonesian workers—an invaluable resource for job opportunities and a trusted guide in financial matters,” concluded Hendrawan. “We aspire to be the main source for job seekers, a facilitator for skill development, and a dependable guide in financial decision-making.”