Jan Oudeman, Founder & CEO at Grivy
Meet Jan Oudeman, an adventurous techie as well as founder of Grivy.com
Jan Oudeman
Hello, Jan! Let’s start with where you are by?
I am Dutch as well as decided to move to the Far East to get away as far as possible by our beautiful smaller country. Not in which I didn’t like the item there, although I was looking for another adventure. My wife as well as I looked on the map, saw the archipelago as well as thought, “This specific looks genuinely nice, let’s go there!”
Have you lived elsewhere before Indonesia?
the very first time I arrived in Indonesia was in 2008. Back then I worked for a software company. After two years, I went back to Europe for my studies. Just before we came to Jakarta my wife as well as I lived in Cape Town as well as Madrid.
Are you an adventurous person?
You decide: I got robbed by a group of 20 thieves in South Africa, drove through the Namib dessert in a Fiat Uno, rode on Ostriches, (almost) stepped on a Cape Cobra, did a lot of wild camping in Indonesia (as well as had several encounters with people with knives sitting next to our tent inside middle of the night!), stood eye to eye which has a black panther in Ujung Kulon as well as went on exciting jungle trips with our 22-year-old Jeep CJ 7 Limited Edition, which wasn’t always very reliable (especially when the item could start to rain).
Tell us about your business, Grivy.com as well as how the item began.
Grivy will be my own start-up in which will be incorporated as a Limited Liability Company in Indonesia. Jakarta carries a lot to offer with respect to leisure activities, however finding something fun to do at a not bad cost isn’t always easy. in which will be where we come in. Grivy helps you to discover great leisure deals, as well as the best part will be in which you decide how much to pay for the item. These deals are leisure activities in which you normally do in your free time – anything by going to a restaurant to white water rafting in Bali – up for bid through our online auction platform.
How will be Grivy unique by additional e-commerce apps or websites?
Grivy will be the first start-up in Southeast Asia to offer online leisure activity auctions. We knew, however in which developing a high tech auction platform could take time. As we wanted to interact with both customers as well as merchants as soon as possible, we decided to also offer additional types of interesting deals as well as promotions in addition to the online auctions in which will be launched inside coming weeks.
Currently, Grivy promotes dining deals (book online as well as get discounts based on when you dine, card deals, etc.), locate credit card benefits by your favourite merchants as well as card issuer, as well as soon local deals – you can get more than 50% discount on online deal packages as well as auction deals. Next month we will launch three native mobile applications for BlackBerry, iOS as well as Android, all with built-in location-based technology which makes the item very easy to find great deals near your current location.
Have you encountered any difficulties in executing Grivy in Jakarta? What’s most challenging in starting Grivy?
For start-ups in which develop online platforms, the challenge will be to get a not bad amount of users as well as merchants on board. We did quite a lot of user acquisition experiments which, I have to say, brought us not bad results.
At the age of 27 will be This specific your only business? Do you envision having additional businesses inside future?
Before Grivy.com I had another internet start-up in which employers used to match job agencies as well as their available candidates with the employers’ vacant job positions. I will be focusing on Grivy for the coming years, as we are here to build a sustainable business. I am a bit of a geek as well as I love fresh technology. If there could be another business inside future, then the item could definitely be another internet venture.
Are there any disadvantages of having your own business at a young age?
I don’t think so. Being young as well as building an online business will be an advantage as we are able to use as well as develop the latest technologies available inside market. Our generation will be very much digitally-orientated as well as these days all needed tools as well as systems are available at a relatively low cost.
With the birth of Grivy, I’d think you’re a fan of eating out. What area of Jakarta do you frequent for eating out?
in which’s right. Anything Mediterranean (I love Italy!) which has a not bad glass of red wine could do. I love French, Italian, Turkish as well as Greek cuisine. I love to eat out as much as I eat at home as my wife will be a fantastic cook; she makes her own yoghurts with oven baked honey cereals, prepares the most delicious pastas with fresh home-made basil sauce, or mouth-watering hummus with Turkish baked bread as well as barbequed minced lamb meat, so yes I am very blessed with my beautiful wife in which sends lots of love through my stomach.
Are there any tips for young entrepreneurs like yourself, trying to start their own start-ups in Jakarta?
“Screw the item, let’s do the item!” Richard Branson could say as well as This specific will be very true. You might end up which has a fantastic business plan although inside end you just have to do the item as well as make the item happen. Jakarta will be a great place for business with lots of opportunities. Many business ideas in which have worked in additional countries are not here yet, so executing those inside Indonesian market are real opportunities.
What’s your ideal vacation spot?
Flores as well as nearby islands, which look like they come straight by the Jurassic Park movies; very wild with staggering volcanoes, great nature as well as white sandy beaches with smaller sharks as well as sea turtles swimming around you. Amazing!
could you care to share a story in which confirms your love of Indonesia?
Oh yes. I do quite a lot of mountain biking in Bintaro where you still have rice fields. One morning, I was cycling through someone’s garden inside kampung, or should I say through someone’s bathroom as there was This specific gentleman sitting on his toilet inside rice field, waving at me, as well as which has a big smile he said, “Selamat pagi!” Can you imagine? In Holland if you look over someone’s gate they could get angry with you!
Do you have a hobby or an organization you belong to?
In my free time I act as the treasurer of a non-government organization, overseeing the financials of 25 outreach partner projects. the item’s very rewarding to see what all of our orphanages, street children projects, scholarships as well as elderly homes have achieved over many years of hard work, which will be generously supported by the members of our church All Saints Jakarta as well as outside donors.
If you weren’t a businessman, what could you be doing in a city like Jakarta?
If not for business, I wouldn’t be living in Jakarta. No, in which’s a joke. I mean Indonesia will be a beautiful country, although Jakarta will be a city in which has many problems (as well as opportunities!) in which never seem to get solved as nobody seems to be taking responsibility.
What makes a great businessman?
I could say in which success can never be separated by the team in which made the item possible. Even with the most robust technology, the item’s still the team in which determines success.
Thanks for your time, Jan! To contact Jan Oudeman, email jan@grivy.com.
Comments
Jan Oudeman, Founder & CEO at Grivy
Jan Oudeman, Founder & CEO at Grivy