(from left) Isaura Qinthara Heriswan and Talitha Firyal Ghina Nuha from the ITS FounderHub Team who won First Place in the Early Stage Digital Business category at KMI Expo XVI

ITS Campus, ITS News — The Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) has once again achieved a proud achievement in entrepreneurship at the Indonesian Student Entrepreneurship (KMI) Expo XVI. This time, ITS managed to secure first place in two categories in the competition, held at Tidar University in Magelang for three days, ending Friday (November 21).

Dr. Hertiari Idajati, ST, MSc, Head of the ITS Entrepreneurship and Career Development Subdirectorate, proudly welcomed the achievement. She stated that it demonstrates the commitment, hard work, and innovative abilities of ITS students in developing real-world ideas and solutions that are competitive at the national level.

The woman, familiarly known as Ida, explained that of the four qualifying teams, ITS won first place in the Early Stage Digital Business category through the FounderHub platform. FounderHub, led by Isaura Qinthara Heriswan (a 2022 student in the ITS Information Systems Department), is an ecosystem for young entrepreneurs that combines education, community, and a personalized learning path . “Through this platform, aspiring entrepreneurs receive structured, tailored, and easily accessible business learning,” she explained.

ITS delegation attending the innovation and entrepreneurship exhibition at the KMI Expo XVI at Tidar University, Magelang (source: Instagram fenura.id)

Furthermore, through VertiCrab, ITS also secured first place in the Growth Stage Cultivation category. The VertiCrab team, led by Salwa Dzanur Royana (a 2022 student from the ITS Department of Instrumentation Engineering), introduced an innovative approach to cultivating high-quality mangrove crabs using a vertical cultivation system equipped with water control technology. “This approach increases efficiency, harvest quality, and the selling value of mangrove crabs,” she said.

Ida explained that ITS’s achievement at the 16th KMI Expo was the result of thorough preparation. She explained that the delegates underwent intensive guidance from accompanying lecturers and professional mentors. “This guidance included refining business progress, strengthening marketing strategies, market validation, and enhancing presentation skills,” explained the lecturer from the ITS Department of Urban and Regional Planning (PWK).

The release of the ITS delegation for KMI Expo XVI by ITS Chancellor Prof. Dr. (HC) Ir. Bambang Pramujati ST MSc Eng PhD (source: Instagram verticrab.id)

Ida emphasized that this achievement is inseparable from ITS’s commitment to continuously improving its students’ entrepreneurial skills through various supporting programs. This Campus of Heroes provides training such as the Student Entrepreneurship Skills Training (LKMW) and mentoring and funding programs like the ITS Youth Technopreneur (IYT). These efforts also support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) point 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth.

ITS is also committed to continuing to be an ecosystem that encourages the birth of innovation and impactful young entrepreneurs. Through this achievement, ITS students are encouraged to continue developing their innovations and businesses sustainably. “To support this, we hope to continue holding internal and external competitions and funding,” said the bespectacled woman. (ITS Public Relations)

Reporter: Ahmad Naufal Ilham