The Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit of the Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia (FTUI), in collaboration with the FTUI Career Development Centre (CDC) and the FTUI E-Corp, held a Technopreneur Seminar entitled Insightful Innovation Towards Successful F&B Business.
The seminar that opened a series of Innovation into Invention (i3) activities was held as a mix in the Makara 04 Smart Meeting Room FTUI and through the Zoom Meeting platform. This seminar was also the first onboarding day meeting with the i3 business incubation team.
“In an effort to realise FTUI as a superior and globally competitive institution, providing facilities and supporting students in carrying out entrepreneurial activities has become the main focus of FTUI. This is reflected in one of FTUI’s Three Strategies regarding Strengthening Engineering Entrepreneurship, as well as the Entrepreneurship Development Programme for Students in FTUI’s 11 Priority Excellence Programmes,” said FTUI’s Dean, Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU.
“Start-up-based entrepreneurial activities have become a trend that is of interest to various groups, especially the younger generation, including the FTUI academic community. Seeing this phenomenon, FTUI continues to innovate, following the latest developments in terms of the younger generation’s interest in entrepreneurship. One of the efforts is through the i3 business incubation programme,” said Prof. Dr. Ir. Yanuar, M.Eng., M.Sc., Deputy Dean for Education, Research, and Student Affairs, in his remarks.
Dr. Imam Jauhari Maknun, S.T., M.T., M.Sc., as Secretary of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit said, FTUI, through the FTUI Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit, organises various entrepreneurship programmes to support and facilitate students in developing start-ups within FTUI. This programme is a real contribution that is in line with FTUI’s vision as a Centre for Excellence and Impactful Entrepreneurship.”
The Technopreneur Seminar aims to provide insight into entrepreneurship and start-up initiatives, particularly in the F&B industry. In the seminar, FTUI presented two speakers who are expert practitioners who have been successful in the F&B world. The first speaker was Silvano Christian, CEO of the Chocolate Kitchen, who made it into the ranks of Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia: The Arts 2023 (Art, Style, Food, and Drink). The second speaker was Prof. Dr. Ir. Hendri D. S. Budiono, M.Eng., Dean of FTUI for the 2017-2021 period, who is the Founder and CEO of Coffee 04.
Prof. Hendri conveyed the importance of consistency in starting a business: “Indonesia, as a country with abundant demographic bonuses, presents great opportunities for business development. Therefore, if you want to start a business, do it, and the most important thing is to be consistent. Something that is done with focus and consistently is ultimately sustainable and pays off.”
“The key is persistence, because business is not easy. Unlike working for a company that guarantees a fixed salary every month, business is like a roller coaster ride. Full of adventures and challenges that we have to face. However, from entrepreneurship, we can learn many valuable lessons and things,” said Silvano.
Then, the session continued with the presentation of i3 and the introduction of mentors for each team by Rosmalita as the coordinator of the FTUI CDC. From the registration of the i3 programme, which took place last May–June, nine groups were formed with various business ideas ranging from application developers to agriculture. The ten groups include Explora, LeadUp, Swapsnap, CleanTech, Creative Innovative Business Workshop for Bicycle Vehicles, Dermounic, Elgifts, KataThey.AI, and BLISS.
Rosmalita introduces mentors who will guide each team in the i3 programme and are FTUI alumni who have experience and expertise in various entrepreneurial fields. Among others, Bowo Kusumo (CGO and Co-Founder at Spora EV), Andrisyah Tauladan (CCO ALAMI), Budi Ariati (Founder and CEO of eGrad), Dr. Ichsan (Senior Renewable Energy Officer at Global Green Growth Institute), Mario Chandra (Co-Founder of Accelent), Titos Jatiarso (Co-Founder and CMO of Javatech Automation), Hans Siregar (Director of SEA at mFilterIt), Yowono Wicaksono (Founder and CEO of Goorita), and Alif Hikmah Fikri (CEO of Inventing).
Over the next month, these nine groups will undergo a series of intensive training, receive coaching from experienced mentors, and carry out various activities that hone their entrepreneurial skills. It is hoped that through this programme, they can develop their business ideas and become young technopreneurs who contribute to advancing the world of business and innovation.
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Bureau of Public Communications
Faculty of Engineering, Universitas Indonesia