Ignition event of National 1,000 Startup movement in Grha Sabha Pramana (GSP) UGM on Saturday (28/8) was responded positively by young people. At least some 1,000 students joined the workshop that has run for the second time.
The National 1,000 Digital Startup in Yogyakarta is up and running through the Innovative Academy UGM programme. The semi-structured incubation programme by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) is aimed at forming startup businesses that have Indonesian characters based on university.
UGM Vice-Rector for Planning, Finance and Information System, Dr. Supriyadi, M.Sc., Akt., said UGM supported the national movement. Supriyadi explained UGM had the committment for developing technology to realise nation’s welfare. One of the ways to do it is by startup development through Innovative Academy programme.
"We give support for development with funding and training aid on entrepreneurial skills for those that have good digital business,” he said in a press conference on Saturday (26/8).
Research, Technology and Higher Education Ministry’s Director of Informatics Empowerment, Septriana Tangkary, shared this view, supporting the 1,000 Startup programme. This is one of the programmes of Nawacita government target that wants to make Indonesia as the Digital Energy of Asia by 2020. Septriana hoped this movement would generate solutions to resolve state problems.
"We welcome and encourage the programme because it invites the young generation that have a dream to keep moving, innovating, and developing startup business," she said.
Project Leader, Aulia Masna, said the movement starting in 2016 had run in 10 Indonesian cities, which are Jakarta, Surabaya, Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Malang, Pontianak, Makassar, Medan, and Denpasar. It has generated 76 startup teams in those cities.
Prior to the Ignition event in Yogyakarta, it had started in Jakarta and Surabaya. Ignition event is a forum to demonstrate and show several subjects, improving learning interest, inspiration, and ideas. Hopefully, this event will motivate initiation spirit of the young people to build the nation.
“Jogja is the city with the largest applicants, which is 1,600,” he added.