Observing Incubator Roles in Campus Ecosystem

Building startup has become a trend for Indonesia's youth. Captivating solution comes in vary as product innovation form. Incubator and accelerator programs are elevating, including the investors in line. Lately, there are many universities begin to launch incubator program. It supposed, students or else who graduated from the program will be more prepared for market competition.

The next question is, how does the incubator works in those universities?

Basically, incubator was made to help early-time business growth by improving in every aspects. For startup, incubator holds a very important role in its journey, particularly those who started from the bottom line - i.e with merely technical worker, no business team. Incubator is expected to help startup associates with industry's stakeholders through a series of networking events which are parts of incubator program.

In Indonesia, many Incubators rise withing campus ecosystem. Some of which are Binus Startup Accelerator of Bina Nusantara, Skystar Ventures of Universitas Multimedia Nusantara, UBPreneur of Universitas Bakrie, Mercupreneur of Universitas Mercubuana, Sinibis UI (a part of Universitas Indonesia), and few others.

Indonesia's universities begin to view startup as an opportunity to create solution, practice skills and business opportunity. The latest, Universitas Indonesia (UI) is rumored to have launched Perusahaan Startup Binaan program and facilitate selected startups to do pitching in front of the investors. It is a positive climate for university ecosystem.

In the paper written by Ir. L. Setyobudi, MS., PhD (Universitas Brawijaya's Head of Entrepreneurship Study at that time), it's described the way business incubator works in university level. Setyobudi claims the presence of business incubator concept in university level is a starting point to bring them closer to the stakeholders.

In addition, university's business incubator also useful for teaching and learning process in providing real-impact experience. It is for all students entity in the incubator to be able to feel the on-field atmosphere closer.

Business incubators in academic ecosystem are very strategic in spotting university as a progressive place to take student into different level of study environment with conventional class.

On the other hand, incubators provide companies the opportunity to participate in research without having to invest a large resource. Businesses also have the opportunity to get the best intellectuals and talents, directly from each university. Thus, business incubator brings opportunity for those who involved in it.

– Original article is in Indonesian, translated by Kristin Siagian