BINUS student runner up at National Start-up Competition

On 27th February 2018, BINUS UNIVERSITY students won second place at the 2018 National Start-up Competition — a tournament for university students who have initiated a start-up business — held by the Widya Mandala University in Surabaya. The competition attracted participants from more than 50 state-owned and private universities from across the country with BINUS UNIVERSITY becoming the only private higher education institution achieving a top three ranking at the event.

The students, Mr Marcellino Fernando Octavio and Mr Reynaldo Santa from the Business Creation study programme created a smartphone application called nglencer – a Javanese word meaning travelling for pleasure. Connected to the IT systems of conventional bus companies from Malang as well as to their drivers’ phones, the application provides a GPS-supported route to pick up multiple customers more efficiently. Additionally, the application also recommends the fastest route to tourist destinations and comes complete with a traffic monitoring system to reduce travelling times for passengers. Going forward, the students hope that the app can grow with more support from the government, particularly through facilitating direct connections with the Malang public tourism body.

Through its students winning second place at the 2018 National Start-up Competition, BINUS UNIVERSITY demonstrated the success of its IT-focused education model. Furthermore, coupled with the university’s approach to developing entrepreneurial skills, the institute’s graduates have quickly ascended to the upper echelons of corporate Indonesia, making key decisions that drive integral sectors of the economy forward.