Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) once again demonstrated its excellence through its participation in the 16th KMI Expo 2025, a national student entrepreneurship event organized by the Directorate of Learning and Student Affairs of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology. The event marked the culmination of the Indonesian Student Entrepreneurship Program (KMI) and brought together young entrepreneurs from universities nationwide in a collaborative setting.
The UGM delegation attended the event, held from November 19 to 21, 2025, at Universitas Tidar, Magelang, alongside hundreds of students from 270 universities across Indonesia. Over three days, participants presented their products, participated in exhibitions, and competed in various entrepreneurship categories.
Among the 475 competing teams, UGM secured three awards. One of these was in the Cultural Parade, which opened the KMI Expo series. The UGM team showcased creativity in costume design, synchronized choreography, and strong cultural storytelling, earning First Place in the Cultural Parade featuring the theme “Local Creativity for National Strength”.
“The assessment covered thematic relevance, creativity in properties, performance dynamics, as well as attitude and neatness throughout the parade,” stated the 16th KMI Expo 2025 committee.
In the Student Entrepreneurship Exhibition category, UGM also won First Place for Best Entrepreneurship Booth. The booth featured three student entrepreneurship products funded by Kemendiktisaintek: NutriPlate, Biover Center, and CV. Mandira Heritage Group. The three were recognized for their booth aesthetics, product presentation, marketing strategy, and ability to engage visitors.
NutriPlate introduced an innovative smart plate powered by Artificial Intelligence and weight-tracking features to support personalized portion control. Meanwhile, Biover Center showcased bioconversion technology that transforms organic waste into tilapia feed through a Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS), including products such as Dried Maggot, Maggot Powder, and RAS Tilapia that meet CBIB standards.
Mandira Heritage Group captivated visitors with its digital-based cultural education media, including Mandira Brick, Mandira Puzzle with Augmented Reality features, Bimba Brush, and JAKI as an interactive 3D puzzle. Strong product design, visual creativity, and cultural narratives made the UGM booth stand out among other participants.
Among the three student business units, CV. Mandira Heritage Group earned First Place in the Creative Industry (Growth Stage) category. The team consists of students from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB UGM), Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA UGM), and Faculty of Engineering (FT UGM), who presented culturally inspired educational toys.
Director of Student Affairs at UGM, Dr. Hempri Suyatna, expressed his appreciation for the delegation’s achievements. He emphasized that the students’ participation in the KMI Expo reflects their strong capacity to innovate and identify opportunities in entrepreneurship.
“These accomplishments demonstrate that UGM students are capable of delivering impactful business solutions,” he said on Tuesday (Nov. 25).
In a separate statement, Dr. Suyatna also highlighted the importance of strengthening the downstreaming of student-run enterprises to ensure the sustainability of their innovations. He noted that the campus entrepreneurship ecosystem must continue to be reinforced through mentoring and strategic partnerships.
“Our challenge moving forward is to ensure that student innovations can be downstreamed into consistently growing ventures,” he added.
Through their participation in the 16th KMI Expo 2025, UGM students gained valuable experience in product presentation, network building, and understanding the dynamics of national start-up development. These achievements are expected to inspire more students to pursue entrepreneurship and bring forth innovations beneficial to society.
Author: Triya Andriyani
Post-editor: Rajendra Arya
Photographs: Directorate of Student Affairs