Indonesian SME-focused SaaS startup Mekari has laid off 5%, or about 70, of its staff as part of its strategic focus to realign resources and prioritise high-impact initiatives, according to a company announcement on Wednesday.
“We recently made the difficult decision to part ways with about 5% of our team as part of a strategic effort to sharpen our focus on high-impact priorities for 2025 and beyond,” Mekari’s co-founder and CEO Suwandi Soh told DealStreetAsia in a statement.
The company’s strategic adjustments involve scaling back innovation projects within the financial services and internal tools development teams, areas where multiple new projects were being pursued. Soh said those divisions are likely to be the most affected.
“We have multiple new projects in the mentioned areas and decided to cut down due to the need to focus just on the important few,” he explained.
Currently, Mekari has 1,400 employees on its rolls.
The company aims to streamline its efforts and focus on a select few initiatives that align closely with its core SaaS strategy. Despite these changes, Mekari’s flagship SaaS products—Talenta, Jurnal, Klikpajak, Qontak, and Mekari Sign—will remain unaffected.
Soh emphasised Mekari’s ongoing commitment to investing in product innovation, reliability, and customer success. “These changes position us to move forward with clarity, focus, and impact.”
The decision to reduce the workforce was not taken lightly. Mekari is ensuring that those affected are supported with fair severance packages and other assistance measures.
He reaffirmed that this is the only workforce reduction planned by Mekari, signalling stability for the company’s remaining employees as it moves forward with renewed focus.
The startup provides SaaS solutions such as human resource management, payroll, billing, and accounting, among others, helping companies digitise and automate their operations efficiently.
The company has been active in expanding its solutions through inorganic strategies. In June, Mekari acquired local SaaS startup Jojonomics, a company that develops no-code and low-code solutions, including the Officeless Operating System. This platform enables businesses to easily and quickly create applications tailored to their needs.
Previously, Mekari acquired Qontak in 2021, a provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and omnichannel communications services. Earlier, in 2019, Mekari consolidated four startups—Talenta, Sleekr, Jurnal, and Klikpajak—into a single entity to form the Mekari brand.
Mekari last raised funding in May 2022, securing $50 million in a Series E round led by Money Forward, with participation from East Ventures and MidPlaza. Since its founding in 2017, the company has raised a total of $71 million.
