Skuling

Boston University, Questrom School of Business

Industry: Education Technology

MBA Founding Student Name(s):  Yudha Pratama Situmorang

Brief Description of Solution: Indonesia’s education system faces several significant challenges that hinder student engagement and equitable learning opportunities.

1. Low Desire to Learn

According to the PISA study, Indonesia ranks 77th in Mathematics, 74th in Science, and 73rd in Reading out of 80 countries. This low performance highlights a major challenge in student engagement, as many learners struggle with motivation and interest in their studies, negatively impacting their academic performance and future opportunities.

2. Inequality in Education

There is also a considerable educational gap across regions. The 2022 UTBK ranking reveals that 82% of the top 1,000 high schools are located in Java, leaving six provinces without any representation on the list. This disparity limits opportunities for students outside Java to compete on equal footing.

3. Limited Accessibility

Furthermore, most educational apps in Indonesia are not designed for students with poor internet access. Many of these applications are over 40 MB in size and require stable internet connections, making them inaccessible for students in rural areas with limited connectivity.

4. Competing for Screen Time

In addition, educational technology platforms are struggling to capture students’ attention. It’s no longer just Edtech competing with Edtech; now, it’s Edtech versus social media and online games. Many students are spending more time on entertainment apps than on educational ones, primarily because they find learning platforms less engaging.

So our solution is Skuling which addresses these challenges by offering a lightweight, gamified educational platform designed to make learning fun, engaging, and accessible for all students. By integrating gamification, Skuling creates an environment where students feel like they’re playing rather than studying. The platform is tailored to provide a personalized and exciting learning experience, even in regions with limited internet access, ultimately aiming to enhance student engagement and educational equity in Indonesia.

Funding Dollars: $100,000

What led you to launch this venture? My passion for launching this venture stems from my personal experience with the transformative power of education. As someone who grew up in a small Indonesian city, I was fortunate to study at one of the country’s top universities, namely Padjadjaran University and later with a full ride scholarship from our government at Boston University, a world-renowned institution. This journey profoundly changed my life trajectory.

However, I’m aware that such opportunities are not accessible to everyone in Indonesia. Public universities, which offer both quality education and affordability, are highly competitive and have limited spots. Many talented students miss out due to lack of preparation or resources.

Driven by this realization, I set out to create an affordable and user-friendly mobile application. Its purpose is to help as many Indonesian students as possible prepare effectively for university entrance exams. By doing so, I aim to level the playing field and give more young people the chance to access quality higher education, potentially changing their lives as education changed mine.
What has been your biggest accomplishment so far with venture? Our biggest accomplishment so far has been helping students get into their dream universities. Last semester, we saw many of our students reach their goals, which is the ultimate success for us.

Additionally, within just six months of launching, we gained 70,000 users with a very limited marketing budget, relying mostly on word of mouth. Now, our user base has grown to 110,000, a testament to the value and impact we’re delivering to students.

What has been the most significant challenge you’ve faced in creating your company and how did you solve it? One of the most significant challenges I’ve faced in creating my company has been prioritizing. In the startup world, it’s not just about cracking the market—it’s also a race against time. You have countless ideas for growing your product, but with limited budget and resources, you can only develop one at a time. Learning to prioritize the most impactful features and initiatives has been critical.

Additionally, the education technology sector comes with its own unique challenges, such as addressing accessibility issues, ensuring engagement in a competitive screen-time landscape, and meeting the diverse needs of students across different regions. To overcome these challenges, we focused on creating a lightweight, engaging platform that students can easily access – even in areas with limited internet connectivity – and making learning enjoyable through gamification. This has helped us stay focused while gradually scaling up.

How has your MBA program helped you further this startup venture? Before my MBA, I had no formal business background, as I was a mining engineer. The MBA program has been crucial in helping me grow my startup. It gave me the skills and confidence to navigate areas like finance and fundraising, which were completely new to me. I also learned how to build and leverage networks, strengthen my leadership abilities, and foster collaboration—each of which has been key to expanding the venture. In addition, the MBA helped boost my credibility as an entrepreneur, making it easier to connect with investors, partners, and customers, and allowing me to establish trust as we scale the business.

What founder or entrepreneur inspired you to start your own entrepreneurial journey? How did he or she prove motivational to you? One of the greatest entrepreneurs who inspired me is Gita Wirjawan, a prominent figure in Indonesia’s business and education sectors. He’s an investor, entrepreneur, academic, and former Minister of Trade. What stands out about him is not just his remarkable success in business, but his deep commitment to education.

We had several conversations when I was in Boston and during his sharing sessions, and he even dedicated an hour to hear about Skuling. One of the pieces of advice that I will always remember is to “Keep the mission alive.” His belief in my vision was both humbling and motivating.

At our launch event, Gita also took the time to share his experiences with our audience, further reinforcing his dedication to helping the next generation succeed. His willingness to give back, mentor, and support educational initiatives has been a huge source of inspiration for me in driving Skuling forward. His blend of business acumen and passion for education continues to motivate me to make a difference in Indonesia’s education landscape.

Which MBA class has been most valuable in building your startup and what was the biggest lesson you gained from it? It’s hard to pick just one, as every course in my MBA program has contributed to preparing me for my startup journey. However, if I had to choose, I would highlight the Private Equity class. This course pushed me to build numerous financial models, which was challenging but incredibly valuable. It forced me to think like an investor and really understand what they look for in a business. This perspective has been crucial when pitching to potential investors—it helped me communicate Skuling’s financials more effectively and anticipate their questions and concerns. The investor mindset I developed in this class has been one of the biggest assets in growing my startup.

What professor made a significant contribution to your plans and why? Professor Andy King from the strategy class has made a significant contribution to my plans, even though I haven’t discussed my business plan with him directly. His insightful case studies and discussions about successful companies provided me with invaluable perspectives on strategic decision-making and adaptability in the face of challenges. Analyzing real-world examples of how companies navigate obstacles and seize opportunities helped me think critically about my own venture and inspired me to apply similar strategies. His teachings reinforced the importance of strategic thinking in entrepreneurship, shaping my approach as I work to scale my startup and make a meaningful impact in the education sector.

One of the key concepts Professor King emphasized was the power of network effects in building successful platforms. I now understand how platforms can become exponentially more valuable as their user base grows, creating a self-reinforcing cycle of growth. This has led me to prioritize strategies that will rapidly expand our user community and foster strong network effects, such as implementing referral programs and creating features that become more useful as more students join our platform.

How has your local startup ecosystem contributed to your venture’s development and success? The local startup ecosystem, especially BU’s Build Lab, has been crucial in my entrepreneurial journey. I got involved with Build Lab from the start of my MBA program, and it provided me with the experience to pitch to investors and refine my approach. One of the hardest lessons came when Build Lab rejected funding for my venture—it was tough being turned down by my own school. However, this experience made me more resilient. I went on to meet with 7-8 VCs, learning that rejection is a normal part of the process. That persistence paid off when we successfully raised funds from our investor, ADRA Canada, which was a major milestone for our company.

What is your long-term goal with your startup? My long-term goal with Skuling is to empower young students to transform their lives and achieve their dreams through an engaging educational experience. We are aiming to have the biggest impact possible by becoming the #1 edutech startup in Indonesia and reach USD50,000,000 yearly revenue. This ambitious target reflects our commitment to excellence and our belief in the transformative power of education.

In terms of reach, we have set a bold objective to impact the lives of 10 million students within our first 5 years of operation. This extensive reach will allow us to create a significant positive change in the educational landscape across Indonesia.

As we grow, we also aim to contribute to the economy by creating job opportunities. Our goal is to employ at least 200 people, providing meaningful work in the education and technology sectors. This will not only support our mission but also contribute to the overall development of the workforce in our country.

While I know this journey will take time and effort, I am confident that we are heading in the right direction, and I am excited to see the positive impact we can make in the lives of countless students across the country.

Looking back, what is the biggest lesson you wished you’d known before launching and scaling your venture? Looking back on the experience of launching and scaling Skuling, the biggest lesson I wish I had known is the critical importance of building a strong, aligned team. Underperforming hires not only drain financial resources but also consume valuable time, which could have been better spent on product development. A meticulous hiring process is essential to ensure that team members share our vision for transforming online learning in Indonesia.

Additionally, I underestimated the value of direct market research. Spending more time understanding the specific needs of students, educators, and parents would have helped validate our solutions early on.

Another key lesson is the significance of building relationships with government decision-makers to navigate shifting education policies and align our platform with national standards. By internalizing these lessons—prioritizing hiring, engaging with users, and fostering government relationships—we can better position Skuling for long-term success in Indonesia’s dynamic edtech landscape.

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