Chaim Fetter, a Dutch programming prodigy and entrepreneur, has balanced building businesses with a spirit of exploration and philanthropy. As a teenager, he created his first online venture, developing e-commerce websites. He spent his twenties traveling in Southeast Asia before establishing the Peduli Anak Foundation in 2005 to support former street children in Lombok, Indonesia.
Source: Jualo website.
Last year, Fetter transitioned the foundation’s leadership to a local team, relocating to Jakarta to pursue a new business venture, Jualo. Jualo is Indonesia’s first consumer-to-consumer (C2C) online marketplace that utilizes geo-search functionality. The name “Jualo” translates to “to sell” in Bahasa Indonesia.
“Indonesia’s online market is experiencing rapid growth, and its 250 million citizens are captivated by the internet,” Fetter observed. He added, “Over time, I’ve gained a deep understanding of Indonesian consumers and their buying and trading behaviors. A significant portion of the population lacks the financial means to purchase goods outright, leading them to engage in bartering.”
Source: Jualo. Fetter, Founder of Jualo.
Jualo caters specifically to the Indonesian market, offering a platform for buying and selling second-hand items, including used office furniture.
Fetter explained, “The e-commerce sector in Indonesia grapples with logistical challenges due to its geography as an archipelago, making distribution costly. Additional obstacles include limited access to online payment solutions and a lack of trust between buyers and sellers online.”
Jualo’s geo-search feature addresses these issues by connecting buyers with nearby sellers. Fetter highlighted, “In keeping with Indonesian traditions, Jualo facilitates bartering, allowing users to exchange goods and services. Our seller verification process offers an added layer of security for buyers, especially those new to online transactions. My ambition is to establish Jualo as the most reliable and user-friendly platform for second-hand goods and services in Indonesia.”
Initially developed by Fetter at his kitchen table, the beta version of Jualo is now operational. “By September, we had achieved one million unique monthly visitors and 4.5 million page views, with the platform facilitating between US$6 million and US$8 million in second-hand goods transactions,” Fetter reported. “Despite our modest beginnings, we are incredibly proud of our progress. In just seven months, we have amassed over 100,000 active users, all without the support of large-scale marketing campaigns and relying solely on our personal savings. We are actively searching for committed investors who share our vision of expanding Jualo into a dominant player within Indonesia and eventually across the region.”
Source: Peduli Anak Foundation. Some of the beneficiaries of the charity co-founded by Fetter.
Jualo is incorporated in Singapore due to its accessibility to skilled personnel and financial institutions. “Singapore will be our next target market,” Fetter shared. “We are even exploring opportunities to connect Singaporean and Indonesian users, allowing them to access goods and services available in each other’s markets.”
Fetter is dedicated to giving back, allocating 5% of Jualo’s profits to the Peduli Anak Foundation. “Imagine the positive impact if businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly in developing markets like Indonesia, committed to sharing their early successes with those less fortunate. Millions currently living in poverty could be positively impacted,” he reflected. “This belief motivates me and embodies the perfect fusion of entrepreneurial success and social responsibility.”