Upon hosting the Grand Launching of the Independent Entrepreneurship Program (WMK) at Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus), with 316 students, Udinus held the Pre-immersion stage of this event. The pre-immersion stage featured 34 Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) at an event entitled the SME Showcase on Friday, October 4th, 2024.

On that occasion, all participants of the Independent Entrepreneurship Program (WMK) were allowed to choose the best SMEs for their business prototypes. As stated by Filmada Ocky Saputra, M.Eng., the Coordinator of the Pre-Immersion, all participants would later be divided into several groups, and choose one of these SMEs as their partners.

“Each SME will only be partnered with two groups, and for a month, these two groups will study under the SME they chose. I believe the perfect term for this is onboarding, which is a process of learning and understanding business processes per one’s prototypes,” he uttered.

The SMEs featured at the Independent Entrepreneurship Program at Udinus included PT. Rahmi Ida Nusantara, Rocket Chicken, Kasturi Perkasa Teknik, and Jordan Plastics. These 34 SMEs were grouped into several categories, encompassing food and beverage, trading service, and digital business.

“We also involve an alumnus from Udinus to be our partner in the Independent Entrepreneurship Program (WMK). Hopefully, the prototypes of our participants can be further developed during the onboarding process,” Filmada uttered.

As additional information, the Grand Launching of the Independent Entrepreneurship Program was hosted on the third floor of the E building at Udinus on Wednesday, October 2nd, 2024. It was attended by 38 representatives from various universities in Indonesia who participated in the Independent Entrepreneurship Program at Udinus. The theme of the program was ‘Precision Smart Technopreneurship.’

Advice from the Partners

One of the partners, Ir. Redi Nuswantara, M.M., P.hd., the Owner of the PT. Rahmi Ida Nusantara expressed his appreciation to Udinus for hosting the Independent Entrepreneurship Program. According to Redi, many students had an interest in establishing businesses but struggled to get a platform to support their ambitions.

“Young entrepreneurs are needed to reinforce our country. This is because as a demographic populist, our country works like a double-edged sword. If we did not provide positive contributions to the young generation, it would only be a matter of time until our country crumbles into pieces,” Redi emphasized.

Another partner, Kusuma Wardana, a Marketing and R&D Officer at Rocket Chicken, provided several tips to young entrepreneurs. According to him, young entrepreneurs must be full of spirit, persistent, and not reliant on academic skills learned in classes.

“I would say that the Independent Entrepreneurship Program is important, as it gives students opportunities to solve new arising problems. Their businesses will also be guided so they will fulfill public necessities,” he uttered. (Humas Udinus/Haris. Foto: Humas Udinus)