Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta, in collaboration with UNS Innovation Hub, Indonesian Education Fund Management Institute (LPDP), and Indonesian Business Incubator Association (AIBI), hosted the International Seminar on Startup and Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (ISSIE) 2023, Saturday, May 27, 2023.

The hybrid international seminar, which took place at de Tjolomadoe Karanganyar and Zoom Meeting, presented two keynote speakers and three plenary session speakers. The five speakers are Assoc. Prof. Dr. Omar Khadeer Hussain from UNSW Canberra Australia, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fabien Pecot from TBS Business School Spain, Adi Rosanto CEO of Rosin Group, Dr. Kiwi Aliwarga from UMG Idealab who also serves as AIBI Secretary General, and Khresna Bayu Sangka, Ph.D. from UNS, who currently serves as the Head of AIBI’s Studies and Research Division.

In the welcoming speech, Timotius Suryadi, the Regional Secretary of Karanganyar Municipality delivered a welcome speech representing the Regent of Karanganyar, Drs. H. Juliyatmono, M.M. Through his speech, Timothius expressed his honor on the occasion of welcoming the seminar participants and AIBI members attending the international seminar. “Startups and entrepreneurship are a vital part of driving economic growth. Both sectors are making positive changes. I hope all of you can interact with the speakers and learn from their knowledge and expertise,” he said.

Regarding the important role of startup business, this international seminar is also expected to be a medium to build networks between startups, by fostering opportunities for new challenges, media exchange of ideas, and exchange of experiences. Similar notions were expressed by Prof. Venty Suryanti, S.Si., M.Phil., Ph.D., Director of the UNS Directorate for Innovation and Downstreaming, through her opening remark.

“Today, start-ups have an essential role to play in the economy, with their contribution to economic growth and the environment. In this case, innovation is a crucial aspect for start-ups, where innovation can drive the performance of the startup business,” she explained.

Aside from delivering the opening speech, Prof. Venty also officially opened ISSIE 2023. Prof. Venty thanked all the committee members for their hard work in organizing the international seminar on “Startup & Innovation Ecosystems: Driving Economic Competitiveness.”

The event continued with the inauguration of AIBI Chairman and Board of Directors members for the period 2023-2027. Through this ceremony, Catur Sugiarto, S.E., M.SM., M.Rech., Ph.D., CDMP., a FEB UNS Lecturer, who also serves as Head of UNS Business Incubator, was inaugurated as the Chairman of AIBI along with Dr. Harry (Kiwi) Aliwarga as AIBI Secretary General.

Meanwhile, two keynote speakers Assoc. Prof. Dr. Omar Khadeer Hussain and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Fabien Pecot delivered their material virtually. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Khadeer presented the material entitled ‘Agile Logistics for Economic Competitiveness.’ The second keynote speech was delivered by Assoc. Prof. Pecot, with the title ‘From Branding to Brand Image.’

As the third speaker, Dr. Khresna Bayu Sangka delivered a material entitled ‘Educational Logistics for Higher Education-based Business Incubator,’ which was followed by a material entitled ‘Make Ideas Happen’ by Dr. Kiwi Aliwarga. Meanwhile, Adi Rosanto as the last speaker delivered a material entitled, ‘Marketing and Innovation in Business.’

The ISSIE 2023 then followed by a question and answer session led by Dr. Tri Mulyaningsih as moderator. The agenda was attended by more than 300 participants both on-site and virtually. Also attending the event was FEB UNS Vice Dean for Academic, Research, and Student Affairs, Dr. Dwi Prasetyani. The seminar agenda was continued with the AIBI National Annual Congress, led by Dr. Catur Sugiarto, Chairman of AIBI.