The SBM ITB team, consisting of Agustin Anandia Kartika Prabasari (Management 2024), Albertus Michael (Entrepreneurship 2025), and Kezia Gohannad Pratiwi Silaban (Management 2025), has won the 2024 KBMK business competition with their innovation in processing batik water waste using Oxymix Microbubble Generator (OMG) technology.
KBMK 2024, a highly prestigious national competition organized by the Indonesian Talent Development Center (BPTI) and the Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) of the National Achievement Center (Puspresnas), in collaboration with Multimedia Nusantara University (UMN), is a platform that fosters innovation and entrepreneurship. The theme for KBMK 2024 was ‘Exploring Responsible Production and Consumption Opportunities and Implementing a Circular Economy in the Era of Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0 to Accelerate Inclusive and Sustainable National Economic Transformation Within the Framework of the Fields of Business, Management, and Finance.’ This year, the competition attracted participants from 396 universities across Indonesia, making it highly competitive and a significant achievement for the SBM ITB team.
The Mobius Mob Team showcased the Oxymix Microbubble Generator (OMG) technology in this competition, which is expected to benefit batik MSMEs greatly. The OMG technology, a cutting-edge innovation, enables industrial players to effectively treat wastewater before discharging it into the environment. By producing cleaner wastewater, this technology supports various technical and chemical processes such as sieving, sedimentation, and filtration, thereby contributing to sustainable production and consumption.
The 2024 KBMK selection process was rigorous, consisting of three main rounds. The first round began with submitting papers and videos in April, where the Mobius Mob team qualified for the semifinal round held on 25-28 June 2024 at Multimedia Nusantara.
After successfully passing the semifinal round, the Mobius Mob team and six other teams advanced to the final round. This final stage required high creativity and adaptability, as they had to complete a new case study overnight and present it to the jury within a limited time.
“We had to work hard from 7 pm to 5 am to complete the final presentation deck. The challenge was intensified as we were required to be creative and present different content than before,” said Agustin.
Interestingly, the competition branch they participated in had a specific aim: commercializing a business that already has established technology and aligns with the theme of sustainable production and consumption. Their biggest challenge was finding the right technology, which took considerable time. However, with persistence and the help of existing connections, they eventually found innovative batik processing technology in Bandung.
“There are challenges, especially since this competition requires us to commercialize our business using existing technology that fits the circular consumption theme. Finding the right technology was a real challenge, but we kept trying until we found batik processing technology in Bandung,” said Kezia.
“Our most valuable lesson was that effort never betrays the results. We prepared intensively for the final presentation, even though fatigue often set in during preparation. However, we continued to fight and gave our best. Praise God, all these efforts finally paid off,” said Albertus.
“Hopefully, with the experience and knowledge we have gained and feedback from the judges, we can contribute more widely by developing and commercializing the technology created with our friends from the engineering department. In the future, we aim to advance the Indonesian economy too,” they expressed.
