One of the activities was a Startup Talk themed "Sustainable Technology: Startups in the Era of Sustainability," featuring three speakers. Two of them are ITB alumni: Crisna Aditya, Co-Founder of eFishery, and Mohamad Bijaksana Junerosano, Founder of Waste4Change.

Crisna Aditya is an alumnus of the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (SEEI) at ITB and currently serves as Chief Internal Operations and Co-Founder of eFishery. eFishery is one of Indonesia's unicorn startups, having secured Series D funding of USD 200 million (around IDR 3 trillion).

He explained that eFishery originated from concerns about problems in the aquaculture sector, such as overfeeding, which leads to water pollution and distribution issues. From this concern, he and his partner established the startup.

They then began developing technology to address these problems, starting with prototypes made from used items to test whether the technology worked well. "Back then, we used simple technology, like tin cans and used bottles," he said.

He added that after successfully marketing one product, new problems would arise, allowing the business to grow by continuously offering solutions to existing issues.

Meanwhile, another speaker, Mohamad Bijaksana Junerosano, often called Mas Sano, is an alumnus of the Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering (FCEE) at ITB. He is the CEO and Founder of the startup Waste4Change.

He mentioned that his startup also started from concerns about environmental issues related to waste since he graduated from high school. "After graduating high school, I wasn’t sure what to do next, so I prayed for guidance. Then I saw news on TV about a garbage problem in Jakarta. I took that as a clue; I was being called to solve the waste problem," he said.

However, Waste4Change wasn’t established immediately. After graduating from university, he worked as a consultant and initiated various movements to address waste issues. But he felt that his actions weren't making a significant impact, which led him to establish Waste4Change.

"The most significant change comes from entrepreneurship because its foundation is service," he said.

Waste4Change operates under four business models, including Consulting Business, Responsible Waste Management Business, Recycling Business, and Engineering and Technology. According to him, one of the key aspects of a startup is its business model. One business model should strengthen the others to enable faster growth and generate more profit.

Reporter: Iswatun Amaliah Khairunnisa (Agricultural Engineering, 2021)
Translator: Anggi Nurdiani (Management, 2024)
Editor: Hanifa Juliana (Urban and Regional Planning, 2020)