Markus Kevin is the co-founder and CEO of Pocket, a financial management platform that aggregates expenses and financial health information to improve spending and budgeting habits for Indonesian families.

Pocket raised their pre-seed last year led by East Ventures. 

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👋🏼 How would you explain your job to someone outside tech?

I'm building a platform where families can manage their finances openly, transparently, and securely. 

Through Pocket, families are able to allocate budgets and track each other's spending, so that they can make better and informed decisions and ultimately reach their financial goals as a family.

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🧐 What's something about you or your job that would surprise us?

Ever since I was a teenager, I have always been entrepreneurial and adventurous. I have a deep love for money, so anything I could do to bring home the bacon, I would. 

I have tried selling fashion items in bazaars, opened up mom-and-pop stores selling street food, and went house to house selling electronic goods. I was willing to take a leap in the dark, just to try something new and continuously outdo myself. 

This trait still persists to this day and leads me to build my own startup.

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🏆 What has been the biggest highlight of your career so far?

Creating Pocket has been my most significant achievement to date. As a seasoned product enthusiast, I find immense fulfillment in the journey of building something from the ground up, embracing the risks, and ultimately making a substantial impact on Indonesia's financial literacy, bringing it to the next level.

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🔍 What's a startup trend or space you're watching this year?‍

Community has been such a big driver for businesses' success in the past years. Brands and businesses are heavily investing in building their own community. 

So anything involving community and social spaces is what really interests me. 

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💼 What advice would you give someone starting out in your industry? 

Be humble, stay hungry—stay foolish! There's no instant way to build things, so let yourself and your team be obsessed with your customers.

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🗣 What's one thing you can keep talking about for hours? 

Sports, especially tennis and football, and also relationships.

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🎥 What's your favorite movie/TV show? 

I'm an avid fan of horror flicks, but I also enjoy some slice-of-life dramas. There's this K-drama about family and relationships that I really resonate with, it's called Reply 1988.

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🍨 What's your go-to ice cream flavor?‍

Pistachio and vanilla.

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FYI. We've edited this interview for clarity.