The next session of the Innovative Academy incubation program was held at EDS UGM on (20/4), featuring Hestyriani Anisa Widyaningsih, COO of Edspert.id. The mentor began the session by asking the startup participants to define innovation. “Innovation is something that disrupts what already exists,” explained one participant, which the mentor then elaborated on.
Building a startup requires a framework and concepts to foster its development. “Design Thinking is a combination of creative thinking and critical thinking and is the most relevant system for problem-solving in the current tech industry,” the mentor explained. The mentor outlined several stages of design thinking: Empathize, which involves understanding the customer’s perspective; Define, which involves articulating the problem; Ideate, which involves brainstorming solutions; Prototype, which involves creating a model of the solution; and Test, which involves trying out the prototype with customers to gather feedback.
In addition to innovation, the composition of the team within a startup is crucial. “In today’s era of collaboration, the ability to build, maintain, and motivate a solid team is key to achieving desired outcomes in any project,” said Hestyriani.
During this mentoring session, startups were encouraged to explore effective team development strategies, including team formation, conflict management, and enhancing team performance through case studies and practical approaches. “Innovation is not just about how technology is developed, but also about how it is implemented and managed by the people involved,” concluded Hestyriani, closing the mentoring session. (Writer: Ailsa / Documentation: IA Photos)