UNS – Universitas Sebelas Maret (UNS) Surakarta hosted the Demo Day of Sebelas Maret Startup Academy (Semesta) Wirausaha Merdeka (WMK) 2024 at the G.P.H. Haryo Mataram Auditorium. The two-day event, held on Wednesday (4/12/2024) and Thursday (5/12/2024), carried the theme “Crafting the Future: Educate to Innovate” and featured a variety of engaging activities, including expos, seminars, talk shows, business matching, a micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) festival, award ceremonies, and entertainment.

The Demo Day attracted participation from 374 students representing 18 universities. Over 74 booths showcased products from startups and MSMEs nurtured by UNS. Exhibits ranged across sectors such as food and beverages, creative industries, arts, tourism, aquaculture, business services, and trade.

The event kicked off with a national talk show featuring Danang Giri Sadewa, a creativepreneur, who shared his journey under the theme “How to Become an Entrepreneur: Adaptive and Taking Advantage of Opportunities.” This was followed by live demonstrations and pitching sessions by student groups. The UNS auditorium buzzed with buying and selling activities as investors explored student booths to engage with their entrepreneurial ideas.

UNS Rector, Prof. Dr. Hartono, dr., M.Si., highlighted the increased student participation in the program’s second year, emphasizing that it provides theoretical knowledge and practical entrepreneurial experiences. Through Semesta WMK, each participant receives a financial stimulus of 1 million rupiah, supporting their business planning, development, and production efforts. As part of the Merdeka Belajar Kampus Merdeka (MBKM) initiative, the program allows students to gain up to 20 semester credit units (SKS) recognition for their entrepreneurial activities.

“We aim for our graduates to develop an entrepreneurial mindset, creating broader job opportunities by advancing the business sector,” Prof. Hartono stated.

Surakarta Mayor Teguh Prakosa attended the event, urging participants to maximize the entrepreneurial development programs available. The Surakarta City Government has provided facilities such as Solo Techno Park to support emerging entrepreneurs and addressed funding opportunities through various schemes, ensuring access for local and non-local students.

“We will facilitate UNS with funding access through banking institutions to accelerate entrepreneurial growth. We hope this will contribute to job creation,” the mayor remarked.

The Wirausaha Merdeka Program is an initiative by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) aimed at fostering student entrepreneurship in Indonesia. It is part of the MBKM program, offering students the opportunity to learn and grow as prospective entrepreneurs through hands-on experiences beyond the classroom. The program focuses on building entrepreneurial skills, enhancing practical experience, and boosting student employability.

The Semesta WMK UNS program also contributes to the achievement of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), particularly KPI 2, which supports off-campus experiential learning opportunities. Additionally, the program has the potential to produce graduates who become new entrepreneurs, aligning with KPI 1. These entrepreneurial graduates will significantly contribute to UNS’s performance metrics and support the national entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Humas UNS