A Start-up by Two Students of ITB Displayed in TechIn Asia, Receives Pre-Seed Funding
By Adi Permana
Editor Adi Permana
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – Chatbot is a common use in business, but it is undeniable that the feature costs high and the system activation is not simple. Looking an opportunity in this situation, two students of ITB, Terry Djony Syukur (Engineering Physics ‘16) and Muhammad Fathiyakan Ramadhan (Entrepreneurship ’17) initiated the Chatbiz.id, a chatbot activation app as a solution for SMEs in Indonesia.
Chatbiz can support and provide chatbot with automatic admin that will ease SMEs’ in promotion of their product catalogue and respond to customer’s chat. By inputting several data such as item’s pictures, description, and price, the SME’s can see their product in a chatbot system.
The SMEs can also minimalize their operational cost for admin up to 80%. Compared to admin staff that might cost 2-4 millions/month, this chatbot costs less and can respond all chats in an instant. Currently, Chatbiz serves 3 SMEs that engage in clothing and games voucher.
The start-up was just established in 2018, but it has gained three outstanding achievements. Chatbiz joined TOP and PTC programs by LPiK-ITB, is an incubation tenant in Greaterhub, and is one of many tenants that displayed their product in TechIn Asia Startup Factory on October 2018. Uniquely, Fathiyakan as the co-founder said that he and Terry are the youngest group members who apparently displays the youngest start up tenant on the prestigious event.
Also on this TechIn Asia, they caught the interest of an angel investor. Chatbiz receives Pre-seed funding that can go up to hundred million rupiah. From the same angel investor, they get an office on Cidadap, Lembang, Bandung.
“Hopefully Chatbiz can hel SMEs and other companies that move towards industry 4.0,” said Terry Djony Syukur, the CEo of Chatbiz.id.
Reporter: Moch. Akbar Selamat (Management 2020)
