(FEB NEWS) Surabaya, Thursday, October 9, 2025 – Faculty of Economics and Business Universitas Airlangga (FEB UNAIR) in collaboration with the Government Investment Center (PIP) of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Indonesia through the Regional Office of the Directorate General of Treasury (DJPb) of East Java Province held the 2025 UMi YouthPreneur Socialization activity, Thursday (9/10/2025), at the Fadjar Notonegoro Hall of FEB UNAIR.

Before the main event began, in the morning a business curation was carried out by the Government Investment Center (PIP) team represented by Mr. Prasetya Arif, Staff of the Funding Cooperation Division, and Mr. Mochamad Sopian, Empowerment Consultant.

This activity involved 30 types of startups from FEB UNAIR students, curated to identify the business potential and challenges faced by young campus entrepreneurs. The curation is a crucial part of the UMi YouthPreneur 2025 series, which aims to identify potential ideas and businesses that can be further developed through mentoring and funding.

The afternoon socialization activity was attended by the leadership and management of FEB UNAIR, representatives of the East Java Provincial DJPb Regional Office, and the Government Investment Center team, as well as dozens of students from various study programs who enthusiastically participated in the event.

The event was opened with remarks by the Vice Dean III of FEB UNAIR, Dr. Novrys Suhardianto, SE, M.SA., Ak., Ph.D., who expressed his appreciation to DJPb and PIP for their collaboration in encouraging FEB UNAIR students to develop their potential through entrepreneurship.

"We are very grateful to the Directorate General of Treasury and the Government Investment Center for facilitating our students to further their careers through entrepreneurship," he said.

He emphasized that entrepreneurship isn't just about making money, but also about providing a livelihood and making a real impact on society. In his remarks, he also highlighted that the involvement of the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT) and the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (PIP) represents the government's active support for students' ideas and needs.

"The government is here to provide support, listen to ideas, offer advice, and assess student needs. God willing, everyone will find a path to success," he added.

He concluded his remarks with the hope that this activity would become a pilot project for positive and sustainable collaboration between FEB UNAIR and the Ministry of Finance.

The next session was delivered by Mr. Saiful Islam, Head of the East Java Provincial Regional Office of the Directorate General of Taxes (DGT), who outlined the Ministry of Finance's role in supporting national economic growth through fiscal policy synergy and regional economic empowerment. He explained the institutional structure, the function of the Government Investment Center as a Public Service Agency (BLU) under the DGT, and the PIP's mission in managing 10 trillion rupiah in funds to finance the productive sector.

In his explanation, he emphasized the importance of an entrepreneurial ecosystem involving the government, universities, and students. "This synergy aims to foster an entrepreneurial spirit so that students can become entrepreneurs who contribute to the national economy," he said.

He concluded his remarks with an inspiring message that Indonesia's economic future lies in the hands of a young generation that is creative, innovative, and adaptable to changing times. The main presentation was delivered by Prasetya Arif, a staff member of the PIP Funding Cooperation Division.

In his presentation, he explained in detail about the UMi YouthPreneur 2025 program as a prestigious event that opens opportunities for students and young entrepreneurs to participate in the development of the people's economy.

This program aims to attract young people to participate in the world of entrepreneurship with a new mindset that being an entrepreneur is a formal profession on par with other jobs. "We want entrepreneurship to no longer be viewed as an alternative job, but as a professional and impactful career choice," he explained.

During the outreach session, Prasetya also explained five conditions that make it difficult for ultra-micro (UMi) businesses to access formal financing, including a lack of business legality, inadequate financial records, shifting business locations, inconsistent product variety, and a lack of formal workforce. Through this program, PIP seeks to address these challenges by providing mentoring, training, and inclusive access to financing.

The UMi YouthPreneur 2025 program consists of four business clusters—food and beverage, crafts, social and environmental, and fashion—and is open to two categories of participants: students with business ideas and young entrepreneurs with businesses that have been running for a maximum of two years. Registration for the program has been extended until October 10, 2025, to provide more opportunities for students.

Participants who pass the initial stage will undergo a series of selection processes, starting with the Venture Journey, online training, pitching, and bootcamps and business matching, planned for various regions in Indonesia. Winners will receive business support from PIP in the form of equipment, business incubation mentoring, and promotional opportunities at national events such as Inacraft.

"We don't want participants to just become competition experts. We want them to create jobs and be part of sustainable economic growth," Prasetya Arif emphasized.

The socialization session also took place interactively, with participants asking about the assessment aspects, the mentoring process, and the reporting mechanism for aid recipients. Prasetya explained that assessments are based on the depth of the business idea and its impact on the community, while post-competition mentoring will be facilitated directly by the business incubator.

The event concluded with an interactive quiz and registration session for new UMi YouthPreneur 2025 participants, which was enthusiastically received by FEB UNAIR students. Through this activity, FEB UNAIR strengthened its commitment to building an entrepreneurial culture in the academic environment and supporting the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).