Jakob Rost: Indonesia Lazada War Stories, Ayoconnect Founder Learnings & Personal Leap of Faith - E220

Jakob Rost is founder and CEO of Ayoconnect, Southeast Asia’s largest open finance API platform and the only licensed open finance player in Indonesia. Founded in 2016, Ayoconnect makes open finance accessible for businesses in Indonesia, the world’s fourth most-populated country.   Under Jakob’s leadership, the company has become a pivotal player in the Indonesian economy. Ayoconnect is building critical infrastructure which is making it easier and faster for businesses of all sizes to launch new financial products and services, and in turn helping to drive both financial inclusion and greater access to innovative solutions. Ayoconnect serves more than 200 API customers, including some of the region’s largest banks, financial institutions, tech unicorns and fintechs, and offers more than 4,000 embedded finance products. Originally from Germany, Jakob began his career with JP Morgan and Boston Consulting Group, helping organisations navigate the challenges related to financial infrastructure limitations. Before founding Ayoconnect, he was a Director at Lazada, Southeast Asia’s largest e-commerce company at the time, now wholly-owned by Alibaba Group. Jakob is an active angel investor, an advisor to early-stage startups and a respected mentor in the Indonesian startup ecosystem. Show notes at: https://www.jeremyau.com/blog/jakob-rost