Podcast with Iwan Kurniawan, Co-Founder and COO of Modalku

Happy Summer! Volunteering, internships, and general travel has taken Wharton students to all corners of the world this summer. Wharton FinTech has also made its first foray into Southeast Asia. Check out this latest podcast, where Kevin Vichyastit (Wharton MBA 2018) chats with Iwan Kurniawan, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Modalku, a P2P lending platform in Indonesia for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Modalku is the Indonesian arm of Funding Societies, a fintech player in Singapore and Malaysia, and is funded by Sequoia Capital. They seek to make an impact in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia by filling the MSME funding need.

In this informative and heartwarming podcast, Iwan talks about the exciting MSME market in Indonesia, describes his startup journey, gives some candid advice on coming down from our ivory towers and watching our blind spots, and makes a passionate plea for MBA students and budding entrepreneurs to look (South) East!

Iwan has been featured in CNN, Jakarta Post, Bisnis Indonesia, Tech in Asia, Metro TV and other major media for the platform’s early successes. Prior to Modalku, Iwan was a management consultant with global consulting firm Oliver Wyman, specializing in strategy development and risk management within the Financial Services industry, with experience across Southeast Asia and China.

Iwan is a proud graduate of Cornell University. He has lived and worked in 5 countries (Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, China, United States), and is conversant in 5 languages (English, Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, Thai).