Bandung, dkst.itb.ac.id – In his reflection, ITB Hackathon 2025 mentor, Hari Tjahjono, said that his approach to the business world is different from the modern startup mindset. Armed with experience as a conventional entrepreneur who places profit as the main foundation from day one, he sees how the global startup ecosystem has experienced rapid development since the term “startup” became known in the 1970s to the 1990s, when various unicorns appeared in many countries, including Indonesia.
Even though he does not come from a business culture that is oriented towards fast growth, his long experience in building stable and sustainable companies made him feel challenged when he was appointed as a mentor at the 2025 ITB Hackathon with the theme AI for Sustainability. According to him, growth startups do not always have to pursue large scale in a short time; the most important thing is to have a real impact on the environment and society.
In this program, Hari accompanied a team of participants consisting of three young architects, two ITB alumni and one Australian university graduate in Malaysia. They develop solutions using artificial intelligence to optimize energy use in high-rise buildings and residential areas. He considers this idea not only relevant, but also urgent to be realized considering that 40% of global pollution comes from buildings that have not implemented environmentally friendly principles.
As a mentor, Hari provides more support from a non-technical side. He encouraged the team to build a strong entrepreneurial mentality in order to get out valley of death, a critical phase that often makes startups fail to grow. He also emphasized the importance of viewing innovation not just as a technological solution, but as a complete and sustainable business model.
At the final stage of the program, the team he guided had not yet made it into the top three who were entitled to take part in the ITB DKST incubation program. However, according to Hari, this actually confirms the high standards and quality of the ITB Hackathon 2025 participants. He appreciated the spirit of the team who remained committed to continuing the development of their solution, developing a long-term business plan, and maintaining communication with him after the program ended.
Seeing the enthusiasm of the participants and the ideas that emerged throughout the activity, Hari expressed optimism for the future of the technology startup ecosystem in Indonesia. He assesses the program hackathon It is important for this to continue to be expanded to various campuses to encourage the birth of new innovators in the field of sustainable technology.
