Making a Life through Language Application
In two years, Tyovan has hired 25 young people to work in his company, which develops the application.
Tyovan Ari Widagdo
Tyovan Ari Widagdo, 27, had not even graduated yet when he was entrusted to manage around Rp 6 billion to develop an English learning application, Bahaso. In two years, Tyovan has hired 25 young people to work in his company, which develops the application. He is now beginning to give back to hundreds of thousands of Indonesians.
"I just got home yesterday from Banda Aceh giving scholarships to 1,000 Acehnese women to learn English,” Tyovan said at his office in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Friday. He is the chief executive officer (CEO) of PT Bahaso Intermedia Cakrawala, which develops the Bahaso language application.
Outside a cool meeting room, the atmosphere was quite cheerful. The employees, around the same age as Tyovan, exchanged jokes. They shared donuts. About half an hour later, the atmosphere was quiet. They were busy with their computers.
The recipients of the scholarship in Aceh were handicraft makers. With the language application, they can speak English and can sell their handicrafts to foreign buyers via the internet.
Scholarship recipients can access a premium class in the Bahaso app. The subscribers of the premium class pay Rp 100,000 per month. However, there is also material that can be enjoyed for free, with limited access. The number of total app subscribers now reaches 350,000, 30 percent of whom are users of the premium class. The company\'s revenues come from paid subscribers. "Thus, there is a cross-subsidy system," he said.
Tyovan established his company with an investor fund worth US$500,000 or about Rp 6 billion, which he received in 2014. Recently, the company received additional capital from a local telecommunications company. With the additional funds, Tyovan can develop the language application more flexibly.
Tyovan plans to give scholarships to about 100,000 people. In addition to Banda Aceh, he has also distributed the scholarships in Bojonegoro, Manado, Wonosobo and East Lampung regency. Bahaso has been apparently used by Indonesian migrant workers, who among others work in Dubai and Hong Kong.
Tyovan Ari WidagdoFind a solution
"The curriculum in formal education [school] is still focused on how to get high test scores, not how to use the language properly," he said. The gap is fulfilled by non-formal education. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford to take a course. In addition to distance and time constraints, the cost of attending the course is also relatively high.
Tyovan resolved the constraints, by disseminating teaching materials via the internet. Moreover, Android-based phone users are everywhere. Tyovan developed the language teaching application when he was studying at the Computer Science Department at Bina Nusantara University (Binus) in Jakarta.
This project enabled him to graduate from the university even though he got low test scores. "During my time in college, my achievement index was always below two," he said with a smile. Tyovan always received bad scores because he was often absent from class. He instead spent most of his time developing his company. The company, named Vemobo, builds web and applications and offers technology consultancy.
The magic of the IT world had attracted Tyovan since he was a teenager. He often spent his time playing video games even though he did not have a player in his home. Most of his pocket money was used to pay for PlayStation rentals. However, he did not just play games. He also tried to develop a game.
He often spent time at internet cafes studying information technology and English was mainly used as the language of instruction. He had a dictionary, but his pocket money was too little to pay for the internet. With pocket money of only Rp 5,000 per day, he was able to outsmart two internet cafes in the town of Wonosobo with a rental rate of Rp 10,000 per hour.
Her father and mother were just street traders. They sold tofu on the sidewalk when Tyovan was in his first year at SMA I state high school in Wonosobo,
When he was in his first year of high school, his naughtiness disrupted the school’s computer system. The "student" virus he created spread to all school computers. Although he had an anti-virus app, he was punished and banned from using computers in the laboratory.
His interest in computers was fulfilled when he became a school radio broadcaster. At that time, he had the time to design a website containing comprehensive information about tourism in Wonosobo, called named e-wonosobo. After that, he received many requests to make websites with payment of up to Rp 3 million.
One time he got a project with a value of Rp 25 million from a government institution. His application to register his company was rejected because he was still underage. The notary he approached asked him to come back when he was old enough.
He then used a fake ID. With a fictitious identity, he managed to register himself as the owner of an information technology company called CV Vemobo Citra Angkasa.
With the payment he received, he bought his first laptop. "But he still did not receive attention from girls. They chose a guy who had a motorcycle, ha-ha-ha," he said.
His journey continued in Jakarta. While studying at Binus University, he met other IT enthusiasts, as well as start-up business owners. Vemobo still operates normally. Thanks to his activities, he was invited by Stanford University in the US as a representative of Indonesia at the ASES Stanford Summit and Pitch IT in 2013.There he visited Silicon Valley, the mecca of the IT world, and expanded his network. In an airplane on a trip to the country, Tyovan thought about making something useful for people, based on technology.
The idea came into being in early 2015 in the form of Bahaso. He almost dropped out of college, but his Bahaso application saved him. After obtaining his bachelor\'s degree, his Bahaso application allowed him to earn a living. He searched for English language experts to create teaching content. Tyovan then decided to cooperate with the School of Cultural Sciences (FIB) of University of Indonesia.
Subscribers of the Bahaso learning application received a certificate from the campus. Tyovan\'s life changed a lot when he was just 30 years old. He no longer wants a motorcycle because he has a Toyota Fortuner with his initials on the license plate. He lives in Joglo, West Jakarta.
Tyovan is not about to stop. He wants to grow old like Bill Gates, his role model, who sponsors many people in the world. The distribution of an English language scholarship is a small step.
TYOVAN ARI WIDAGDO
Born: Wonosobo, Jan. 12, 1990
Father: Doto Hermawan
Mother: Suprapti
Brother: Dyo Hendro Kumoro
Occupation: CEO of PT Bahaso Intermedia Cakrawala - CEO of Vemobo
Education: Computer Science at Bina Nusantara University; SMA Negeri 1 Wonosobo; SMP Negeri 2 Magelang
Some Achievements: Enters Forbes’s 30 Under 30 Asia list, 2017; Youth with international achievement given a part of Youth Pledge Day 2017; Enters the Top 100 World Innovators list of the renowned innovation agency YouNoodle, USA
