Deputy Assistant for Ecosystem Strengthening at the Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Christiana Agustin APi MM, delivering her speech at the opening of the East Java Entrepreneur Hub 2025 at ITS.

Kampus ITS, ITS News –As a manifestation of its commitment to encouraging the growth of young entrepreneurs in Indonesia, Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) together with the Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) held the East Java Entrepreneur Hub 2025 event. With the theme “Entrepreneurs to the Next Level,” this event was held at the ITS Research Center Auditorium on Wednesday (16/7).

Deputy Assistant for Ecosystem Strengthening at the Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Christiana Agustin APi MM, said that this event was an important moment to strengthen the mindset of MSME entrepreneurs in East Java. She emphasized that a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem cannot be built in isolation or operate independently. “All parties, including universities, local governments, and business actors, must form a cohesive unit that supports one another,” she said.

ITS Rector Prof. Ir. Bambang Pramujati, ST, MSc, Eng, PhD, also delivered a speech at the opening of the East Java Entrepreneur Hub 2025

In her presentation, Christiana also highlighted ITS’s achievement in securing an A-rating in the national ranking of incubator institutions conducted by the Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs. Additionally, she mentioned ITS’s success in sending one of its incubated startups to the Global Startup event in Sydney, Australia. She noted that these achievements are evidence of ITS’s significant potential in developing an entrepreneurial ecosystem.

In line with this, ITS Rector Prof. Ir. Bambang Pramujati, ST, MSc, Eng, PhD, stated that a technology campus like ITS should not merely be a place for students to learn. He emphasized that ITS, as an educational institution, serves as a platform for fostering new entrepreneurs based on innovation. “As an educational institution, ITS is also responsible for nurturing entrepreneurial interest among students,” he added.

Asisten Deputi Penguatan Ekosistem Kemenkop UMKM RI Christiana Agustin APi MM (kiri) bersama Rektor ITS Prof Ir Bambang Pramujati ST MSc Eng PhD (tiga dari kanan) meninjau pameran UMKM di acara Entrepreneur Hub Jawa Timur 2025

In Bambang’s view, efforts to develop an entrepreneurial ecosystem are crucial to creating a healthy business climate. He cites support from local governments, the presence of investors, and guidance from large companies as vital elements in developing startups. “If the ecosystem is strong, business growth and technological innovation will be much faster and more evenly distributed,” said the ITS Professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Meanwhile, Dr. Endy Alim Abdi Nusa, SIP, MM, Head of the Cooperative, Small and Medium Enterprises (Diskop UKM) Department of East Java Province, through his representative Andrio Himawan Wahyu Aji, SH, MH, stated that East Java’s economic growth during the 2021–2025 period shows a positive trend, reaching 5 percent. “East Java is recorded as the second-largest contributor to the Regional Domestic Product (RDP) on Java Island, after Jakarta,” he explained.

In this context, the East Java Provincial SME and Cooperative Agency commended the implementation of the East Java Entrepreneur Hub 2025, which serves as a strategic platform for young entrepreneurs to test and develop their business ideas through mentoring from mentors, investors, and business practitioners. He hopes this event will become a collaborative space that can foster resilient entrepreneurs with global competitiveness.

Deputy Assistant for Ecosystem Strengthening at the Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Christiana Agustin APi MM, during her visit to the East Java 2025 SME Entrepreneur Hub exhibition at ITS.

After the opening ceremony, the series of activities continued with inspirational seminars from four speakers who are experts in their fields. The first presentation was delivered by Donny De Keizer, Chairman of the Indonesian Professional Speakers Association (IPSA), entitled Business Transformation and Growth through Effective Business Communication. The next session was led by personal branding practitioner Yasmin Zata Ligouw, who discussed the topic “Strong Personal Branding for Rapid Business Growth.”

Next, participants were invited to understand digital marketing strategies through a presentation by Lazada Indonesia’s Vice President of Government Affairs, Yovan Sudarma, on the topic of “Optimizing Online Sales with Effective Digital Strategies.” This was followed by a presentation by Yana Shandi, Founder of Incentric ID, on the theme of “The Customer Experience Revolution: Turning Customers into Loyal Followers of Your Business.”

Through this event, ITS once again demonstrated its contribution to supporting the fulfillment of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 8, namely Decent Work and Economic Growth. This event marks the first step toward fostering a future generation of entrepreneurs who are globally competitive and grounded in sustainable values. (ITS Public Relation)

Reporter: Aulia Okta Wijaya