Born and raised in Indonesia, I studied in the US at the age of 16. However, I made the decision to move to Taiwan to become fluent in Chinese, restarting my studies at National Taiwan University where I chose to major in economics. Afterwards, I also went on an exchange program to Osaka, graduating with fluency in Indonesian, English, Mandarin and Japanese.
My previous experiences were in Yuanta Securities, where I assisted in overseeing foreign subsidiaries and strategy execution, and Taishin Bank, where I mainly assisted overseas syndicated loan cases.
My different experiences so far have allowed me to adapt to new environments quickly, absorbing different cultures and different methods of thinking. I hope that in Cornerstone, I can bring a more international perspective to startups. Through my experiences, I learned how to solve operational bottlenecks, how to evaluate overseas expansions and the different ways to raise funds (equity, debt, CB financing).
Lifelong learner
We face many challenges and obstacles as we grow, and each time, they always seem more trouble than they’re worth.
However, I believe that these experiences make us to be who we are. Challenges come and go, but we just have to keep hanging on.
There’s a saying in Japanese, 「七転八起」”Shichiten Hakki”: even if you fall down 7 times, you still have to stand up the 8th time.
Open to challenges
We’ve faced a lot of challenges from when we were just small children. For example, we had to learn how to speak new languages, how to walk, or how to use utensils. They probably weren’t easy things to do before, but we were able to learn them anyway.
Although new challenges are a terrifying thing to think about, growth really comes from facing your fear head-on.
Making mistakes is unavoidable, but making the same mistakes isn’t.
No one likes to make mistakes. It’s a very hard thing to psychologically accept your weaknesses, or accept that you would be clueless at first, or that you would do something terribly.
I believe, however, that mistakes aren’t there to remind us how stupid we are. They’re there to tell us how we can improve.
No pain, no gain
Hard work doesn’t guarantee success, as success also needs a factor of luck: right person, right place, right time. But the opportunity to be successful doesn’t come to those who don’t do the hard work. Working hard is like buying a lottery ticket, your odds of actually winning increase as you work. Conversely, if you don’t do any work, there’s really no chance of winning.
Everyone has a story to tell
10 years ago, I came to study in Taiwan without speaking any Mandarin and without knowing how to make friends and find communities that I belong in. In the following years, I was able to gradually adjust to the Taiwanese culture, lifestyle, and values. The same goes when I went to Japan, as I was able to understand the Japanese worldview while making friends with people from all over the world. My experiences have given me an open mind and induced me to try and understand how people think differently.
As a result, I really like listening to different, unique ideas and viewpoints. They are crystallizations of people’s experiences, thoughts, and even styles of communication.