Bangkit, a program supported by Grow with Google and in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek), aims to produce high-caliber graduates in the era of information technology advancement. This program is intended for students across Indonesia. Participants of Bangkit can choose from various technology specializations, including Machine Learning, Mobile Development, and Cloud Computing.

The program, which was first introduced in 2022, has graduated more than 2,500 students during the year 2022. In 2023, Bangkit opened registrations for 2 batches in the even semester of 2022-2023 and the odd semester of 2023-2024, with each batch having a registration quota of 4,500 participants, resulting in a total of 9,000 students for the year 2023.

Figure 1. The objectives of the Bangkit Program delivered by Irene Gloria, Learning Support Manager at Bangkit Academy

During its implementation, participants must follow each stage of activities prepared by Bangkit. One of the graduation requirements for Bangkit participants is to create a final project. In the final project, participants will be divided into groups of 5-6 students with themes determined by each group. Additionally, each group must consist of a combination of 3 different specializations, namely Mobile Development, Cloud Computing, and Machine Learning.

HIAZEE, a team consisting of 6 members, 3 of whom are students from the Computer Science program, namely Muhammad Zakaria Saputra specializing in Machine Learning, D’Riski Maulana specializing in Cloud Computing, and Novaldi Sandi Ago specializing in Mobile Development, has been selected as one of the top 20 Product-based Capstone Projects at Bangkit Academy in 2023.

Figure 2. HIAZEE Team Members

HIAZEE is a product that focuses on the themes of Food Accessibility, Agribusiness, Water Forest & Food Security. It all began with the discovery of crucial issues in the e-commerce industry of ornamental plants in Indonesia, such as limited online presence and market access for local cultivators, lack of quality standards and authentication that deter consumers from buying online, as well as logistical complexity and delivery challenges hindering business growth. Furthermore, there is significant potential that can be harnessed from the ornamental plant industry in Indonesia. HIAZEE was created to harness the potential of the ornamental plant industry in Indonesia and address the existing problems in the industry.

“HIAZEE is here to harness the extraordinary potential of Indonesia’s ornamental plant industry, and we are determined to solve existing problems with the innovations we present. One of them is the implementation of machine learning technology for image-based search and automatic titling and categorization on the admin side, which can enhance the quality and shopping convenience for consumers,” said Zakaria.

Figure 3. Display of the HIAZEE Mobile App Home Screen

Zakaria and the other members of the HIAZEE team were given one month after team formation to prepare the product with its main functionalities. After the development phase was completed, all 787 teams went through the first judging stage with a peer-to-peer evaluation system among other groups. Additionally, there was an assessment by judges appointed by Bangkit Academy on the project documentation of each team. HIAZEE successfully passed this selection stage and was chosen as one of the 68 Finalists, getting the opportunity to present their project before 5 expert panelists from the fields of Business, Academic, and Technical during the Final Judging session.

HIAZEE successfully became one of the top 20 Product-Based Capstone projects in the Final Judging session and qualified for an incubation offer with funding worth $10,000 or equivalent to Rp. 140,000,000 to continue and realize the project as the next startup. Apart from funding, the 20 incubated teams will receive guidance from 2 industry advisors (1 in the business field and 1 in the technology field) and 1 mentor from the Bangkit staff.

Figure 4. The flow of the Capstone Project at the 2023 Bangkit Academy program

Additionally, the 20 teams that receive funding must propose 1 faculty advisor from the approved campus for each team. In addition to the advisor and mentor, the 20 incubated teams will also receive upskilling sessions in the business field periodically. The incubation phase will begin from August 2023 until January 2024, with onboarding on August 1, 2023, as the starting point, and the target application will be released to end users by January 2024.

It feels like dreams are coming true. It feels like just yesterday I was watching the “Start-Up” series and dreaming of forming a team like Samsan Tech, and now I have been entrusted to develop a significant project together with the team. One thing I’ve realized is that big dreams may not be achieved quickly, but hard work and perseverance can make things that were once unreal become more and more real. We hope that this incubation will be a crucial stepping stone for our careers, and eventually, HIAZEE can grow and develop into a successful and sustainable company, contributing positively to the growth and development of the ornamental plant industry in Indonesia and benefiting many parties,” said Zakaria regarding his impressions and hopes for HIAZEE.

Congratulations to HIAZEE! There are essential points that we can take from Zakaria and his friends’ success story, that no matter how big our dreams are, they will remain dreams without effort, hard work, and the spirit of never giving up. Let’s pray for the success of the HIAZEE team in preparing their application. Moreover, through this achievement, may it ignite the spirit of students from Computer Science Education and Computer Science study programs to continue creating and pursuing their respective interests.

Writers: M.Cahya