The Independent Entrepreneurship Program of Universitas Dian Nuswantoro (Udinus) has finally reached its post-immersion stage, themed ‘Expo and Demo Day. On that occasion, around 400 students divided into 80 stands were involved in testing their products directly on the market.
As additional information, the event was hosted at the atrium of the Park Mall Semarang from December 2nd to 3rd, 2023. It served as one of the must-participated events in the whole Independent Entrepreneurship Program with ‘Precision Technopreneurship’ as the theme. A total of 240 students were from Udinus, whereas the other 160 students were from other universities, including Universitas Muhammadiyah Metro (UMM) Lampung and Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta.
Similar to the explanation given by Dr. Rindra Yusianto, M.T., the Head of Management of the 2023 Independent Entrepreneurship Program, all participants had previously initiated their businesses from the lowest point, and this time they were allowed to test how qualified their products were on the market.
The first day of the event mainly focused on the expo enlivened by 80 Entrepreneur Stands, each with five students. Additionally, there were several categories offered at the expo, including food and beverage (FnB)), digital products, manufactures, and fashion, with many students from various regions in Indonesia being the participants of the expo.
“We purposely chose this mall as the venue to attract a wider market. This post-immersion stage also serves as a simulation for our participants to directly introduce their products to the consumers,” he explained.
On the second day, a demo day was featured as a competition for the participants. Additionally, there would also be judges reviewing the booths. On top of that, the participants would later be involved in a presentation and Q&A sessions. The best booth would be allowed to meet the investors on the next day.
“We will serve as curators for the 36 best booths to engage in the investor session. The chosen group or booth would later meet the investors to present their products and negotiate with the investors to tie a collaboration. Thus, their products could be invested,” Rindra added.
On a different occasion, the Chancellor of Udinus, Prof. Dr. Ir. Edi Noersasongko, M.Kom., hoped all participants could utilize this opportunity to its fullest and begin to understand how the market worked. Moreover, the chancellor also wished for more technology-based business developments funded by investors.
“The Expo and Demo Day could serve as a golden opportunity for the participants of the Independent Entrepreneurship Program to introduce their products to the public. Additionally, participants could also hone their mentality through this event, particularly in facing consumers and investors, which is an important factor in becoming an entrepreneur,” he hoped.
As additional information, Udinus has currently been trusted as the Implementing University for the Independent Entrepreneurship Program. Officially, the Independent Entrepreneurship Program hosted by Udinus uses ‘Precision Technopreneurship’ as its theme, with the kick-off held back in August 2023, on the third floor of the E building.
The theme means that in conducting the Young Independent Entrepreneur Program, the campus developed the program using Precision Technology as the basis and Artificial and Business Intelligence as its approach to Reinforce the Sustainable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem.
The Independent Entrepreneurship Program Could Hone Entrepreneurial Mindset Possessed by Students
The Independent Entrepreneurship program was one of the steps initiated by the government in developing an entrepreneurial learning program. In addition, it could also push students to improve their working power and gather entrepreneurial experience.
During his interview, Shandy Aditya, BIB., MPBS., one of the Implementing Team members from the Ministry of Education, revealed that this program could also act as a solution responding to the rise of unemployment in Indonesia, as well as a platform for students to learn the way of entrepreneurship. This is because the Expo and Demo Day event held at the Park Mall obliged students to interact directly with consumers.
“We were given the freedom to develop this program and tied the knot with dozens of universities, with Udinus being one of them. Thus, we would like to expect output in the form of entrepreneurial experience earned by 12 thousand students and prototypes from their ideas,” he concluded. (Humas Udinus/ Alex. Foto: Humas Udinus)
