Dr. M. Yusuf Abduh is a lecturer from Agrotechnology and Byproduct Technology Research Group and one of the founders of the PT Bio Profasha. This company originally started only as a product of a final project and now it is dedicated to providing high-quality research for the general public. The company's other co-founders are Syaripudin, S.T., Sisca Dewi Ayudya, S.T., and an SBM ITB lecturer Dr. Yuanita Handayati.

Some of the notable products that are produced by this startup are Bio-N Propolis and Bio-N Oil. Dr. Yusuf, who is an alumnus of Bioengineering ITB, shared his experiences in running the company along with various challenges that he needs to face.

Currently, the main challenges that are faced by PT Bio Profasha are acquiring certifications, gaining funding, and marketing its products. The BPOM certification is necessary to legally sell its product on the market. The funding is needed for financing the production and researching new products. Marketing is needed so that their products can be sold well. During his session, he also explained the process of extracting essential oil that will be used in producing Bio-N Oil.

Dr. Wardono Niloperbowo is a researcher at PAU Biotechnology ITB, Eijkman Institute of Molecular Biology, and Sains Biomedika. He is a graduate of Universitas Padjajaran and the University of Queensland, Australia. Dr. Wardono shared his knowledge on what is the correct mindset that a researcher who will establish a startup should have. This mindset is already tested by his experiences in establishing and managing Rekacipta Biologi Indonesia (RBI).

The first key is professionalism, a founder of a startup needs to act professionally in running his company. The second key is reducing idealism because it can hinder the process by making you hesitate to take a step. Idealism can also cause myopia, a condition that one forget his objective. The third key is reducing overthinking because it can slow down the decision-making process. In addition, innovation should not be misinterpreted by the following idealism alone. "Because perfection is impossible to achieve," he said.

To reduce his idealism, a founder needs to be familiar with his target market. Once you have a clear target market, start your business by following the correct strategy to attract those targets. One of the examples of this case was Warunk Upnormal which initially served cheap food as a gathering place for young people. The innovation that was made is to create a comfortable atmosphere and providing free Wi-Fi.

Those tips and experiences can help and motivate ITB students to become good entrepreneurs in this era of the 4.0 Industry. In addition to that, an interdisciplinary collaboration between the business major and the science major is crucial in enabling a new startup that can compete with major corporations.

Reporter: Alvina Putri Nabilah (Biologi, 2019)
Translator: Favian Aldilla R (Civil Engineering, 2019)