From Endeavor Entrepreneur to Board Member, Achmad Zaky Always Multiplies His Impact—One Generation at a Time
When Achmad Zaky first launched Bukalapak from a small boarding house in Bandung in 2010, he had no grand office, no corporate backing, and no guarantees.
What he did have was conviction that technology could open the doors of opportunity for millions of small retailers across Indonesia.
Fifteen years later, the same conviction is driving him into a new chapter. In 2025, Zaky becomes the first Endeavor Indonesia Board Member to emerge directly from Indonesia’s Endeavor Entrepreneur community, marking a full-circle moment in a journey defined by building, scaling, and paying it forward.
A Full-Circle Moment of Leadership
For nearly a decade, Endeavor has been intertwined with Zaky’s entrepreneurial story. From his selection as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2016, to shaping the community as an Endeavor Ambassador in 2023, and now stepping up as Board Member, his evolution mirrors Indonesia’s own entrepreneurial maturation.
"Endeavor has been part of my journey since I built Bukalapak. Now, I’m here as a Board, moving from founder to investor. I believe now is the time to give back more strategically."
Achmad Zaky
Endeavor Indonesia Board Member
Becoming a Board Member, to Zaky, is not merely an achievement; it’s also a responsibility to secure the next decade of growth for Indonesia’s rising founders.
From Building Bukalapak to Multiplying Impact Through Various Ventures
The story of Zaky’s impact begins with Bukalapak: a platform created for empowering MSMEs through technology. Bukalapak revolutionized e-commerce by helping millions of mom-and-pop stores (warung) compete, scale, and thrive.
Its IPO in 2021 became the largest in Indonesian history, turning the company into one of Indonesia’s most valuable.
But Zaky didn’t stop there.
Since stepping down as CEO in 2021, he has committed himself to multiplying his impact beyond a single company.
- He founded Init-6, an early-stage VC fund backing mission-driven founders.
- He launched the Achmad Zaky Foundation, bringing startup education to youth with support from Indonesia’s Ministry of Education.
- He has invested in more than 20 startups, empowering innovators across sectors.
- He has mentored more than 15 founders and inspired dozens of Bukalapak alumni to become founders themselves.
This is the Multiplier Effect—the idea that great entrepreneurs create more than great companies; they create more great entrepreneurs.
And Zaky embodies it.
Why Join the Board Now During a Volatile Market?
With funding tightening and valuations dropping, many might step back. Zaky chooses to step in.
"Every ecosystem has its cycles; even when it’s not the best situation, it’s not the end of the story."
His presence on the Board lineup also sends a message to founders across Indonesia:
Companies that continue providing services during challenging times produce the most creative, disciplined, and grounded founders—those who solve real problems and build for the long term.
And to support these great founders toward success, Endeavor plays a key role.
Endeavor is the right platform where entrepreneurs receive not just encouragement, but guidance. Not just capital, but clarity. Not just ordinary connections, but the right ones. Zaky believes that in periods of volatility, this kind of support becomes even more essential.
Through mentorship from seasoned founders who’ve navigated multiple cycles, Endeavor provides the environment where resilient entrepreneurs can truly grow.
A Vision for Endeavor’s Next Decade
Zaky’s hope for Endeavor’s future is clear: to help founders move beyond survival, beyond Indonesia, and into regional and global leadership.
As a Board Member, he aims to expand Endeavor’s role as a platform for:
- Founder-to-founder mentorship
- Investor-to-founder guidance
- Strategic scaling support
- Sharing hard-won lessons that only operators truly understand
"As an Endeavor Board member, I would like to support the next generation of founders, not just with capital but also with a mindset and long-term vision. To make sure that the lessons we’ve learned over the past decades are all about resilience, governance, and inclusive growth."
Through every milestone, Achmad Zaky has never lost sight of the belief that drove him from the very beginning:
When you empower one entrepreneur, you don’t just change a business; you change communities. You change industries. You change the future.
Today, as Endeavor Indonesia’s newest Board Member, he is once again choosing to multiply his impact.
And Indonesia’s next generation of founders will be stronger because of it.