Cristianto Rian Tarra of Tarrasmart.
Tell us about yourself?
After my startup was successfully acquired, I am now back to assisting optimization and digital transformation as an APV-Artificial Intelligence Of Things (AIoT) Research & Digital Solution Architect at the largest palm oil company in Asia, Golden Agri-Resources (GAR), based in Singapore, which is part of the Sinar Mas Group, a giant conglomerate group.
I take this opportunity so that I can continue to do work according to my passion on a large scale. I’m the founder of Tarrasmart, an artificial intelligence startup company, where I managed to lead this company’s exit with an M&A strategy.
I also managed to get Tarrasmart to be awarded the Frontrunner Award for the Artificial Intelligence category at the Go Global Awards 2021.
What do you think is the single biggest misconception people have when it comes to startups?
One of the misconceptions many people have about startups is that when they build a startup, they think it will be a big success. But for me, building a startup means we bring ourselves to failure and must be prepared to fail. Great success is just a bonus that the solution has to offer is appreciated by many people because it can solve their problem.
If you could go back in time to any moment from your journey, and give yourself one tip, what would it be?
I will convince myself of two things. First, don’t worry about other people’s opinions. That is none of my business, just as my opinions are none of theirs.
And the second one is don’t let anyone, including myself, pressure me into doing something I don’t want. Because many people fail because they don’t want to do what successful people do.
And most people are more interested in doing what most unsuccessful people do, so they can never be successful. For that, I will tell myself that a lot of things I don’t want to do can actually get in the way of my great success, like procrastinating on doing something important.
What makes you stand out as an entrepreneur?
When building a startup, it is not easy to struggle with uncertainty, but I see a great opportunity in making a better automation industry using technology for a better human life.
And as a startup from Indonesia, which is a developing country, it is our responsibility as young people to open up more job opportunities for Indonesian people in need. and develop AI technology to help many local and global industries.
What are some of the best working habits you’ve gained over the past couple of years?
Balancing between the world of work and personal life. It is indeed very important for us to have a healthy life so that we can continue to think of crazy ideas that may not be relevant today but will materialize in the future.
Give us a bit of an insight into the influences behind the company?
At Tarrasmart, we help companies such as palm oil companies in Indonesia, where Indonesia is the largest palm oil producing country in the world.
These companies still use manual methods for harvesting palm oil, so we at Tarrasmart help them optimize with AI and IoT technology so that companies can make cost savings.
Where do you see your business in five years?
We are currently focusing on the Tarrasmart Robotics business. And in the next 5 years, we want to be able to create smart robots that can make human work easier.
What do you think the biggest challenge will be for you in getting there?
The biggest challenge we face is the challenge of people who resist change. This comes from people who are used to the old way.
It takes time, energy, and thought to be able to make people aware of the importance of automation in business, work, and human life for the better tomorrow.
Talk to us about your biggest success story so far?
Our biggest story is that when our team works hard day and night, even if it means a lot of overtime to prepare for exit, we can exit when the pandemic crisis is at its peak. We almost missed the chance, but in the end, we managed to exit our startup company.
How do clients and customers find you? Are you much of a salesperson for yourself?
Currently, we have long-term contracts with various large corporations to ensure that our startups can continue to run to create the latest innovations, and what we do is manage the good relationships that have been established with our customers.
What one tip would you give to fellow startup founders?
Learn, Unlearn, and Relearn. Never stop learning, and never be satisfied with the knowledge you have today. Even if you have to learn what you are not good at at all.
And finally, what do you hope the future brings both you personally, and your business?
I hope that what I have built at Tarrasmart can get a bigger opportunity and can achieve its goals with many opportunities to make humans more assisted with robots like in the movies we might have seen that we thought was impossible.
And I am personally interested in entering the financial industry to create automation opportunities in the financial industry.
Follow Tarrasmart on Twitter or Linkedin.
