AI entrepreneurship in Indonesia
Co-founder, Bang Jamin; Product Manager, Databricks
Likely familiar to anyone in the United States, insurance sales pitches feature geckos, emus and a woman named Flo. But in Indonesia where insurance adoption rates hover under 5%, the market has been too small to justify big campaigns. Serano Tannason (SCS 2020) is changing that.
As the co-founder and former CTO of the startup Bang Jamin, Serano developed a digital insurance platform to support both policy purchasing and claims. The infrastructure creates an easy experience for end users that’s dramatically increased insurance adoption. For example, Bang Jamin partnered with GoJek, an Uber-like ride-hailing app, to extend insurance coverage to two million drivers for as little as $3 a year. The scale of it means financial security for gig economy workers.
“Insurance is designed precisely for people who cannot afford to lose their wealth,” Serano says. “Financial lives have been ruined by accidents and natural disasters, and that's precisely why it’s needed.”
Bang Jamin’s product line is designed for Indonesian lifestyles, with offerings such as per-kilometer policies and artificial intelligence-powered claim submissions that extend coverage, simplify processes and control costs. The clever model raised $8 million from top venture capital firms, including private equity firm Northstar and two of Indonesia’s largest state-owned banks. Today, the company employs more than 60 people and processes $150 million in annual transaction volume.
In 2024, Serano was recognized by Forbes with a place on its 30 Under 30 Asia list in the finance and venture capital category. He exited Bang Jamin in 2025 to join Databricks where he manages a fast-evolving product that houses massive datasets used to train AI.
“I accepted an internship offer from Databricks while I was at CMU in 2020, but because of COVID I had to return to Indonesia and started Bang Jamin instead,” Serano says. “After scaling Bang Jamin into a trusted company in Indonesia, I felt ready to pursue the next technical frontier. Joining Databricks is a full-circle move, and I’m excited to build new things with AI.”
Story by Elizabeth Speed