Atma, an Indonesia-based social job platform powered by community, announced that it has raised $5 million in an oversubscribed pre-seed round led by AC Ventures, with participation from Global Founders Capital.
The round was also backed by founders and executives of the region’s leading companies, including GoTo Group, Advance Intelligence Group, Ula, Lummo, Kopi Kenangan, Sampoerna Strategic, MMS Group and Xiaomi.
With the new financing, the company plans to further enhance its product, execute a go-to-market strategy. It also aims to expand its team to 100 people by the end of the year as well.
Co-founded by former Gojek executive Edy Tan and Ex Co-founder of RestoDepot, Chris Gunawan in 2022, Atma focuses on solving pain points within the lower and middle-income job segment and intends to build an end-to-end ecosystem that includes a job marketplace, an upskilling institute and a community-based support system. The company aims to build the largest and most engaged community of lower and middle- income job seekers with a shared mission to get better with Atma; better job, better income; a better life.
Speaking about the company, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Atma, Edy Tan, said:
“Job seekers in the lower and middle-income segment describe their job search experience as emotionally traumatizing while companies often describe their candidate search experience as a random walk. In Atma, we are building a product to redefine these experiences by overhauling existing dated systems with a first-principle approach. Simplicity, interactivity, sociability, personalization, and gamification will be the core elements of our product.”
Tan further added:
“We are entering a tech-enabled, community-driven-X era where everything that we do is influenced by individuals or groups of people. The community provides a sense of identity, belonging, connection, support and growth for job seekers. Through the community, we win hearts; when we win hearts, we win the market. We are truly humbled to have been trusted by reputable investors, best-in-class entrepreneurs, top corporate leaders in Indonesia, and forward-thinking great talents to champion the mission.”
For job seekers, Atma is building a mobile app. When they start applying for jobs, job seekers will go through a screening process, including their qualifications, skills and cultural fit. Atma’s app will also provide them with real-time job application updates, so job seekers don’t suffer being ghosted after submitting an application. For employers, the startup makes the hiring process easier by using data to screen, assess and sort candidates so they know the best people to interview. It will also include community features, like career development programs, peer-to-peer learning and the chance to meet with other job seekers.
Michael Soerijadji, Founder and Managing Partner of AC Ventures, added:
“Over 100 million active workers in the lower to intermediate level income bracket face significant inefficiencies in searching for the right job that matches their skill sets and preferences. Atma is going to help workers find the right jobs more easily as well as provide them with career advancement opportunities by taking additional certifications or training. They also help employers screen for applicants with more relevant qualifications. Atma will redefine the job-seeking experience and help candidates increase their potential.”
