UNS, ITB, Unair, ITS, and UPN Jogja qualify for the TOP 3 in Pertamuda Seed and Scale 2023

Jakarta, December 2, 2023 - Pertamina announces the top 3 Pertamuda Seed and Scale 2023 winners from each category during the Awarding Night on Wednesday (29/11) at The Patra Resort and Villas. They competed for coaching funds with a total value of IDR 405 million.

The top 3 winners are Iotanic from Universitas Sebelas Maret, Mengasihi from Institiut Teknologi Bandung, and Smartpath from UPN Veteran Yogyakarta in the early-stage startups category. For the energy category, the winning founders are Gelatah from Universitas Airlangga, Panzo from Institut Teknologi Sepuluh November, and Winergy from Institut Teknologi Bandung.

Rifky Rakhman Yusuf, VP of Stakeholder Relations & Management, Acting Corporate Secretary of PT Pertamina (Persero), stated that Pertamuda or Pertamina Muda Seed & Scale is a program by Pertamina, a business idea competition for students from public and private universities across Indonesia. It is open to business ideas in various sectors implemented in the economic, social, and environmental pillars of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Pertamuda, Energizing Your Future, is the third sequel in 2023. Unlike previous years, this year has two categories: Early-Stage Startups and Energy Founder.

Early-stage startup is a competition category for startups, ranging from those in the ideation stage to early-stage businesses dependent on seed funding. Energy Founder is a competition category specifically for founders with business ideas in the energy sector.

Pertamuda 2023 went through various events, including the kick-off on August 30, followed by the Workshop Series. Furthermore, from all the Pertamuda Business Idea 2023 Competition registrants, business ideas were curated to determine qualified participants to advance to the 2023 Pertamuda Demoday & Final Pitch round.

From 2,719 participants who registered from 32 provinces and 238 state and private universities, 30 participating teams were selected from 21 campuses to take part in Demoday Pertamuda 2023. 20 SDG-based and ten energy-based startups have successfully gone through the strict selection stage and will continue for the six best positions in Pertamuda 2023.

The top 3 winners in the Early-Stage category of Pertamuda 2023 will receive mentoring funds worth IDR 300 million, and the Top 3 participants in the Energy Founder category will receive mentoring funds worth IDR 105 million.

In the third year of Pertamuda, participants from various regions and many private campuses qualified, including UK Petra Surabaya, IAIN Lhokseumawe, IKIP PGRI Poltek Energi dan Mineral Akamigas Blora, Universitas Riau, IKIP PGRI Linggabuana Sukabumi, and Binus Malang.

"We still want this program to continue because it aligns with the government's mandate to enhance the youth's entrepreneurial skills. We want their businesses to thrive. Thus, we involve relevant functions to mature their businesses in the future," Rifky said

Rifky hopes that through this initiative, PT Pertamina (Persero) can strengthen the synergy between campuses and industries, foster young entrepreneur’s growth in Indonesia, and provide space and opportunities for students to develop their business ideas.

Atep Salyadi Dariah Saputra, Director of Strategy, Portfolio, and Business Development, Acting President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero), appreciated the participants, mentors, partners, and the organizing team of Pertamuda 2023 in his address.

"Without the dedication and spirit of us all, today's achievements would not be possible. Tonight will be a major milestone that has competed wholeheartedly, and each step taken by the participants is a manifestation of our shared vision to contribute positively to the energy industry and support sustainable development goals," he said.

According to him, the awarding night is not only an awards session but also a moment to celebrate collective achievements and a shared commitment to achieving sustainable development goals. The awards not only recognize the winners but also represent the best appreciation for the efforts and ideas of each participant.

In addition to the Demoday and final pitch, a mini expo and business matching were also held on the same day between 20 venture capital and angel investors with participants. As a result, ten student startups received letters of interest from investors and are exploring further investment. These student startups include Remic, Sipinter, Consense, Smartpath, Arta Grow Persada, Iotanic, Mengasihi, Sea Bening, El Laucky, and Water Coin.**