Yogyakarta, May 9, 2025 — A proud achievement has once again been made by students of the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM). A student team named “Crowpala” earned the Silver Award or First Runner-Up for Presentation in the international BA Global Social Enterprise Competition Project, organized by the Faculty of Business Administration, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Thailand.
Held virtually, the competition focused on innovative business models rooted in social empowerment. Participating teams were required to submit their best proposals in both written and video presentation formats.
Crowpala, an acronym for Community Grow with Pala, consists of four students from the Agricultural Engineering program and one student from the Anthropology program at UGM’s Faculty of Cultural Sciences (FIB), namely: Devi Ramdani (CEO), Hanif Nur Wahid (CMO), Michael Carlo Wicaksono (CTO), Bagus Dwi Putra Atmaja (COO), and Pamula Nur Krisnawardhani (CFO). The team was mentored by Bayu Nugraha, S.T.P., M.Sc., Ph.D., a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Gadjah Mada. They proposed an innovative business idea based on nutmeg—one of Indonesia’s signature spices—using a bio-circular green economy approach. This concept not only focuses on maximizing the use of all parts of the nutmeg fruit to create value-added products but also promotes the empowerment of local youth in developing and managing the business sustainably.
Crowpala’s business model positions itself not only as a profit-seeking venture, but as a social solution for challenges faced by nutmeg farmers. The team’s idea caught the attention of the competition’s judges. One of the jurors, Ching Hu Lin, offered high praise following the team’s presentation: “After watching your presentation, I feel like I want to invest my money in your project,” he remarked.
The Silver Award stands as a testament to the team’s dedication, teamwork, and innovative use of local resources. In his acceptance speech, Michael Carlo Wicaksono expressed deep gratitude for the valuable experience the competition provided. “Thank you for the opportunity and this unforgettable experience,” he said.
It is hoped that this achievement will inspire other students to continue innovating and contributing toward the realization of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education, by enhancing student capacity, confidence, and global experience.
