UGM officially concluded the Merdeka Entrepreneurship (WMK) program on Friday, December 8. This program has seen 251 participants from all over Indonesia and successfully generated 40 innovative products in various fields.
“After approximately 18 weeks of implementation, 40 student innovations were produced,” said the Chair of 2023 WMK at UGM, Dr. Hempri Suyatna, while delivering the program report during this year’s closing ceremony on Friday, December 8, at the UGM Faculty of Agricultural Technology.
These 40 innovative products come from 11 groups in the culinary field, nine groups in the digital field, and ten groups in the creative industry. Additionally, there are five groups in agribusiness, four groups in services, and 1 group in the circular economy.
Dr. Suyatna explained that in 2023, UGM upholds the theme “Be an innovative entrepreneur.” The theme implies that the university hopes students can thrive into innovative and creative entrepreneurs along their journey in business.
In the pre-immersion stage, students received basic entrepreneurship materials to equip them for developing business prototypes during the immersion. At this stage, students were accompanied by 20 facilitators and 20 partners who provided material achievements and guidance until prototypes were formed.
From the immersion, 40 high-quality student product innovations were born. The development of these products was supported in the post-immersion through activities such as feasibility studies, copyright presentations, persuasive and pitching strategies, branding, product development, and marketing.
“Thank you to the WMK participants who have followed the entire program. Don’t forget to implement the entrepreneurial mindset wherever you are, serving and making positive contributions to the community,” he said.
One of the WMK student participants from Surabaya State University, Rafi Bagus, expressed his joy in participating in the program at UGM. He hopes the entrepreneurial knowledge gained can equip him for the future.
“I enjoy Participating in WMK because I can learn a lot. I want to apply what I gain about entrepreneurship after the program ends,” Bagus explained.
In this closing ceremony, UGM also hosted a talk show titled “Strategies for Adapting and Establishing Sustainable Businesses.”
The talk show featured two speakers: Nur Hidayah Rasyid, the CEO of Daya Corporation, and Muhammad Andriza Syarifudin, the CEO of Nusa Berdaya Indonesia. Both shared insights on finance, business, and sustainability in entrepreneurship.
Author: Ika