The Covid-19 pandemic has not slowed the startup world. On the contrary, it has created new business opportunities. Localin, founded by five friends, is one startup that has grown during the pandemic.
TANGERANG - Pandemic conditions have not hindered digital app development. Instead, they have accelerated it.
That is the case for five partners: Adriansyah, Muhammad Bima Januri, Gervando Jeorista Leleng, Muhammad Hafiz Ardianto, and Fahri Dinansyah. Their digital app, Localin, has gained positive traction since launching in March 2020.
The app was built to meet demand for fast local information on hangout spots, restaurants, travel, community gatherings, and city news.
When interviewed by SINDOnews from the Start Space co-working area in Summarecon, Localin CEO Muhammad Bima Januri said the app has been downloaded widely since its release.
“Communities are one of our main target audiences. Our internal research shows many communities want features that make it easier to interact and organize activities,” Bima said.
About 51.4 percent of survey respondents said they belong to one or more communities. The rest said they plan to join a community in the future.
“Most respondents want an app that accommodates their community needs, such as event creation (60 percent), chat (58.7 percent), and finding new members (44 percent),” he said.
In line with the founders’ vision, Localin combines essential apps so users can optimize space on their phones. “We found that 54 percent of respondents said their phone storage was insufficient, and 38.9 percent felt uncomfortable having too many apps installed,” he added.
Localin currently offers promo pricing for community upgrades at Rp 10,000. Bima said that fee is designed to encourage responsible community organizers. The app is also monitored closely by Localin’s internal team so community activity stays within the platform.
Localin now includes Hotel, Eats, News, Event, and Community features. A Movies feature to buy cinema tickets without queues is coming soon, and community chat functionality will be added.
Chief Financial Officer Adriansyah said the News feature aggregates content from 80 local and national media outlets for Jabodetabek news coverage.
“We are currently only in Jabodetabek across 13 cities, with 80 local and national media partners. Since March, we have delivered 10,000 news items,” he said.
They plan to expand to other major cities like Yogyakarta, Medan, Makassar, Bandung, and tourist destinations. This aligns with Localin’s local-first approach to introducing nearby neighborhoods.
“There is nothing like this in Indonesia yet. For news and communities, we are first. Our initial goal was 10,000 users, and growth is continuing,” he concluded.