The event featured a final presentation contest among 12 startup teams, with expert innovation judges determining the winner of Pertamina CoRE ITB 2023. ITB’s Rector Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah, Ph.D., and the Head of LPIK ITB Ir. R. Sugeng Joko Sarwono, M.T., Ph.D., among other executives, attended the event.

Dr. Irwan Gumilar, S.T., M.Si., Chief Executive of Pertamina CoRE ITB 2023, revealed that 306 students from 25 universities in Indonesia participated in the event. The 10-week series of events included team formation, brainstorming, prototype development, and business models.

Guided by business mentors, coaches, and technical mentors, each team received support in developing prototypes and market validation. LPIK ITB provided co-working space for brainstorming and participant activities, resulting in 40 business concepts within the energy sector.

Dr. Irwan explained that 55 percent of the teams were based on applications and websites, while the remaining 45 percent focused on product development. The focus areas included Geographic Information Systems, Smartgrid, Energy Efficiency, IoT, and more.

The top 12 teams, selected after a rigorous selection process, presented their business products at Pertamina CoRE ITB 2023’s peak event. Notable startups among the 12 included Ecostepping, Greenlane, Biomate, Seaboost Tech., Agroflash, Refive, Kelp Me, Alga-e, Opet Tech, Ecolements, Roast Relief, and Debel.

The Non-Government Relations Manager of PT Pertamina (Persero) commended the achievements of the Pertamina CoRE ITB 2023 program. He emphasized the importance of collaboration skills and multidisciplinary mastery for students to create competitive job opportunities.

Prof. Reini Wirahadikusumah expressed her gratitude and pride in students' continuous innovation and multidisciplinary collaboration. She stressed the importance of nurturing curiosity and creativity in the young generation and encouraged participants to go beyond their comfort zones.

The purpose of the Pertamina CoRE ITB program, according to Prof. Reini, is not only to generate ideas but to prioritize the quality of ideas. The executives of ITB, LPIK ITB, and PT Pertamina (Persero) hope that the business ideas developed through this program will contribute to the country's development.

The event featured various awards for the 12 selected teams, including product commercialization recognition, Best Achievement, Best Team, Best Pitch, Best Idea, and the first-place award, which went to BioMate.

Reporter: Pravito Septadenova Dwi Ananta (Geological Engineering, 2019)
Translator: Sherina Wijaya (Geological Engineering, 2019)
Editor: Vera Citra Utami