To realise the vision of UGM to be research university that advances the socioentrepreneur spirit, UGM through its Directorate of Business Development and Incubation along with Lintasarta have prepared students to be young entrepreneurs under the program of Innovative Academy Appcelerate Program. It runs for 3 months, starting with the Kick Off Meeting & Startup Pitching, on Friday (4/8) in the University Club UGM.
“This is the start to the long interaction process until we will reap the results,” said Business Development and Incubation Director, Dr. Hargo Utomo, M.B.A., M.Com.
Innovative Academy Appcelerate Program is a program on incubation and acceleration that aims at developing startup digital business under the guidance of UGM and it enlarges the startup opportunity to run their business sustainably and independently.
Along with Lintasarta, provider of data communition, Internet and IT Services for various industrial sectors, the program is to build the mentality of the students to be young entrepreneurs that also have awareness towards problems in their environs.
“Today we blend together social business into constructive ideas. We want to make the relations between industry and academics as mutual relations, not just transactional,” said Hargo.
There are eight startups of students and alumni joining this programme, Pijar Piskologi, Villageria, Wemary, Muncak, Pasienia, Galanggo, Adsiconic and Iwak. They are asked to present their startup profiles and business plans to the mentors of Appcelerate.
Afterwards, the mentors gave them input and questions, then determine which teams would pass to the next selection for further mentoring.
The presentation was praised by the mentors from Lintasarta. Programme Director of Appcelerate Lintasarta, Ryo Naldho, said the students had showed maturity in building the startup that have social as well as business value to it.
“I think UGM is the first to have a special unit to deal with business development and incubation so that their startups have really been well prepared,” he said.
The assessment, said Ryo, had made Lintasarta to decide that the eight teams qualify to receive development funding assistance as well as joining mentoring programme to prepare them so that they are ready for the wider market.
“Of all the eight teams that made presentation, we have decided that all has qualified for further programme and we will help them to grow in the future,” he said.