The WarnMyLungs Team performed a splendid achievement for Universitas Gadjah Mada to qualify for the 2020 Global Accelerator Hult Prize in Ashridge, United Kingdom. The WarnMyLungs Team gained after striving to eliminate 300,000 participants from 121 countries in the world.
This achievement marks the first time in 10 years that the Hult Prize held there was a team from the Universitas Gadjah Mada who led to go to the Global Accelerator Hult Prize. At the same time, the long and highly competitive process went through the WarnMyLungs Team for months.
Samuel Theo Manat Silitonga Jr., student of the FEB Accounting Department as the Founder & Navigator, explained that after registering on December 17, 2019, the team declared to have reached on January 17, 2020, and fought against around 40 of the best teams from various countries in the Kuala Lumpur Regional on March 21, 2020.
"Unfortunately, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all activities were shifted to virtual," he said at UGM Campus on Tuesday (7/14).
Although the position was constrained because all team members separated in different locations, the WarnMyLungs team showed an extraordinary struggle. The team succeeded to astonish the judges through pitching and follow-up interviews.
"Until the announcement on March 24, 2020, we were declared the main winners of the KL Regional and joined 30 other major winning teams from 22 other regions," Samuel said.
He explained that WarnMyLungs is an innovative warungs-caring platform with bold-eco-movement. The team is also equipping itself with various initiatives that have a direct impact on society and the environment.
"Since June 2020, the WarnMyLungs team engaged in the Global Accelerator Hult Prize virtually, and our enthusiasm has never settled because there are many lessons we have learned," Samuel said.
Meanwhile, during the Covid-19 pandemic, the WarnMyLungs team had conducted a lot of social initiatives. Among them fundraising for personal protective equipment (PPE) for 22 more health facilities in various regions of Indonesia, and distribution of groceries to around 400 more marginalized communities in the area of Yogyakarta.
At present, WarnMyLungs is in the process of developing a multidisciplinary student team. Besides Samuel Theo Manat Silitonga, some students who were delegates for the Hult Prize event were Ricky Setiawan, students of the Management Department of FEB UGM as Co-Founder & Business Development (Management of FEB UGM), and Vania Jesslyn, students of the Faculty of Dentistry UGM as Head of Health and Social Initiatives.
The three of them were delegates from the WarnMyLungs core team who had been working collectively to accomplish the vision and mission of the innovations presented. At the same time, the other core team members are Rakyan Widhowati Tanjung, Erica Lesmana (Accounting, UGM Faculty of Economy and Business UGM), Rajesh Siburian, Muklas Rahmanto (UGM Vocational School), Tiara Ellen Elyora (UGM Faculty of Law), and Tiffani Sandradewi Wignjosoesastro (UNDIP General Medicine).
Author: Agung Nugroho
Translator: Natasa A