# Timothy Astandu

> Timothy Astandu is the Jakarta-based co-founder and CEO of Populix, a technology-based research company established in 2018 with Eileen Kamtawijoyo and Jonathan Benhi. Educated at LSE, Oxford and Cambridge, he has worked in academic research and teaching. He also documents his travels as @timoventures; MURI recognized his visits to 197 countries and territories in July 2026.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Populix
- **Organizations:** Populix, WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management (former external lecturer), Cambridge Experimental and Behavioural Economics Group (former lab manager), NomadMania (Indonesia envoy), Travelers’ Century Club
- **Nationality:** Indonesian
- **Education:** BSc, Human Resource Management and Employment Relations, First Class Honours, London School of Economics and Political Science, MSc, Modern Chinese Studies, Distinction, University of Oxford, MPhil, Innovation, Strategy and Organisation, University of Cambridge, PhD, Management Studies; research focus on leadership, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
- **Known for:** Recipient of the Cambridge International Scholarship, according to his LinkedIn biography., LSE Bassett Memorial Prize and British Journal of Industrial Relations Prize, as listed in his biographies., Master of Pembroke College Book Prize at Oxford, as listed in his biographies.

## Career timeline

- **2017-2019** — External lecturer at WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management.
- **2018** — Co-founded Populix with Eileen Kamtawijoyo and Jonathan Benhi; became CEO.
- **2019** — Populix announced a US$1 million seed round led by Intudo Ventures.
- **2022** — Populix raised US$7.7 million in Series A funding led by Intudo Ventures and Acrew Capital.
- **2022** — Cambridge Judge highlighted workplace-envy research he co-authored with Dana Tussing, Andreas Wihler and Jochen Menges.
- **2023** — Spoke at a CfDS event at Universitas Gadjah Mada about Populix’s early manual data collection and café working arrangements.
- **2025** — Populix announced US$4.3 million at the first close of its Series B round.
- **2026** — Completed a 197-country-and-territory travel itinerary in Brazil in May; received a MURI record in July.

## Achievements

- Recipient of the Cambridge International Scholarship, according to his LinkedIn biography.
- LSE Bassett Memorial Prize and British Journal of Industrial Relations Prize, as listed in his biographies.
- Master of Pembroke College Book Prize at Oxford, as listed in his biographies.
- Co-author of published research on envy and workplace withdrawal.
- MURI record 12812, awarded 16 July 2026, recognizing visits to 197 countries and territories using an Indonesian passport.

## Latest updates

- **2026-08** — Described further travel goals: completing visits to all Indonesian provinces and reaching 200 airline brands; these were stated goals, not confirmed completions.
- **2026-07** — Received MURI record 12812 in Jakarta on 16 July for visiting 197 countries and territories.
- **2026-06** — Featured on Ric Gazarian’s Counting Countries podcast, published 29 June.
- **2026-05** — Brazil was the final destination in his 197-country-and-territory itinerary.
- **2025-04** — Populix announced US$4.3 million in the first close of Series B, with plans for AI research tools and Southeast Asian expansion.

## Links

- Website: https://www.timoventures.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timothyastandu/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/timoventures/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/timothy-astandu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15