How SGU’s Curriculum Generates Many Startups?
Startups are considered to have an important position in contributing to a country’s economic growth. They have the potential to increase employment, utilize local resources, and eliminate geographic or distance constraints.
However, the startup business does not only depend on how sophisticated the technology is used. You must be able to do management, look for opportunities, and also work with teams.
The SGU Information Technology (IT) Study Program has actually started to focus on technopreneurs since 1999. In 2014, the SGU IT Study Program had also created a Technopreneur curriculum but it was not too explicit.
“We didn’t start suddenly. We have been focusing on technopreneurs for a long time, but before that, it wasn’t too explicit, ”said the Head of SGU’s Bachelor of Information Technology Study Program, James Purnama.
The curriculum is not only limited to theory but has resulted in several startups. SGU has generated at least five startups :
- Indonesian hologramis a student’s thesis in 2012. They received a grant from the Ministry of Research and Technology for three consecutive years, amounting to IDR 360 million (2013), IDR 300 million (2014), and IDR 250 million (2015).
- VirtualFashionreceived funding from PT Telkom’s Bandung Digital Valley worth IDR 250 million in 2014.
- Prime Tech, which received funding from the Ministry of Research and Higher Education worth IDR 300 million in 2017.
- idreceived funding from the Ministry of Research and Higher Education worth IDR 225 million in 2018.
- idwhich provides EO services to manage an event. They have experience in managing several events such as the Islamic Book Fair at the JCC. However, when applying for funding in 2020, the program was suspended due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Collaboration with the Business and Management Study Program
The Head of SGU’s Bachelor of Information Technology Study Program, James Purnama, said students will study general subjects in the IT Study Program for three semesters. In the fourth semester, they can choose one of the two available concentrations, namely IT Data Science and AI, or IT Technopreneurship.
Students who choose the IT Technopreneurship concentration will get courses devoted to the development of entrepreneurial skills and expertise. But they still have to learn computer science so they have qualified IT skills.
James said students studying IT tend to have a closed nature, do not want to communicate and discuss with other people, and also find it difficult to work with teams. This nature makes it difficult for them to build start-ups that are synonymous with collaboration and network building. However, they have the advantage of good coding skills.
Therefore, SGU strives to familiarize them with collaborating with other people. For example, each semester they will have one combined course with students from the Business and Management Study Program. When taking joint courses, they are encouraged to communicate and discuss with students of the Business and Management Study Program. This concept is expected to make IT students accustomed to collaborating with people outside their circle.
“Even when they end up working for another company, the IT Technopreneur program is very useful for changing the mindset of students. Technopreneurs have the ability to innovate, analytical skills, and not give up easily which is also needed when they become professionals, “said James.
The Head of SGU’s Bachelor Business & Management Study Program Esa Theodore Mbouw said the startup industry is now moving towards a technology-based startup. Both study programs have the same understanding that students will be required to have an understanding of business and IT to be successful in this industry. This is one of the reasons why the Business & Management study program has introduced the ‘Innovative Entrepreneurship’ starting from the 2020 curriculum. Similar to IT, the Innovative Entrepreneurship concentration can be chosen in semester 4.
“Our integration allows our students to learn business aspects such as entrepreneurship, marketing, etc., and most importantly how they can build a team and work together with different skill sets,” he said.
Students will also learn to work with one another in building a strong team towards their final project in building a startup. In addition to learning the theoretical knowledge, they will also learn practical aspects through in-class assignments, excursions, and business mentoring by industry experts who will guide them in their projects.
Generates Resilience StartUp
Lecturer of Bachelor of Information Technology, Kho I eng said students begin brainstorming to build a startup business in semester 7. The process of finalizing this idea is an important point in building a startup business. “Many students come up with ideas for a product and feel that the product is the best. But the reality on the ground is not like that, ”said Kho.
In building a startup, the way to generate ideas usually starts with first looking for problems faced by the community. For example Gojek, at first they saw that if using an ojek, they had to go to the base at a non-standard rate. With the application, consumers can get services from the front of the house and find out how much money is spent before using the service.
“The most effective way to come up with ideas is to hang out a lot so we can find out about other people’s problems and find opportunities,” said Kho.
Students can also choose a startup as material for the group thesis in semester 8. Lecturers will help students to carry out the incubation process for the startup business that students have built. “We teach business, even find funding and consumers,” he said.
Kho admits that building and maintaining a startup business is not easy. Only about 10 percent of startups can survive. Startup businesses also face challenges because they may not get income at the beginning of the business. Meanwhile, other college friends who work at the company can immediately earn income.
About SGU
SWISS GERMAN UNIVERSITY (SGU) is an international university in Indonesia, was established in 2000 as a joint effort between Indonesia, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria. We are the pioneer in offering international curricula in Indonesia.
Qualified students can graduate with a Double Degree from Indonesia and Germany, which SGU provides in cooperation with partner universities; surely a valuable tool for your future careers. Ever since its establishment, SGU has been dedicated to delivering quality education in line with international standards and aims to develop skilled professionals who meet the demands of the industry. To achieve its objectives, SGU offers quality-oriented learning through 12 Bachelor’s Degree Programs and 4 Master’s Degree Programs ranging from Engineering, Information Technology, and Business to Life Sciences and Social Sciences. Furthermore, with small class sizes, and with English as the medium of instruction, you can look forward to pursuing your tertiary education and degree with full confidence. ***
