A hobby that has turned into a business was initiated by four students from Universitas Indonesia (UI), a university that has transformed from a research university into an entrepreneur university. In line with that, Fauzan Al Farisi (Electrical Engineering 2018), Ahmad Nurhadiyan (Industrial Engineering 2018), Rasha Latifa (Electrical Engineering 2018), and Proudhia Perkasa (Pharmacy 2018) merged the fields of technology and electronics for starting a business of gifts customized, which they named “Cubify”.
Fauzan revealed that the idea to start this business came from his hobby and expertise. “I like making do-it-yourself projects using technology and always get positive feedback from friends and family. I thought, why not try to turn this into a real business?”
Cubify allows customers to order personalized gifts, for example, a music box keychain that is programmed to play the customer’s favorite songs. The gift can display photos, text, or logos through a small screen, which is made according to the wishes of the customer.
“We want to fulfill our customers’ need for unique and memorable gifts. These electronic gifts are not only visually beautiful but also provide a unique and memorable personal experience with integrated technology,” said Rasha.
In developing Cubify, Fauzan and his colleagues received support from the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit of the Faculty of Engineering (FT) UI. The unit which was formed in 2022 focuses on developing innovation and entrepreneurship for students, alumni, and academic personnel. Support is given in the form of access to business networks, mentoring, and product development facilities.
“I believe the FTUI academic community has the ability and creativity to develop innovative products. Through the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Unit, FTUI will always guide and direct Indonesian entrepreneur innovators in the future to create various innovative products and business opportunities,” said Dean of FTUI Prof. Dr. Heri Hermansyah, ST., M.Eng., IPU.
“We want to provide the best quality and good service to our customers. We hope we can develop our product better and have a positive impact on society,” said Proudhia.
For now, the business being run by Fauzan and the team is still done online, which can be ordered through https://elgiftsid.carrd.co/ and is limited to serving areas around Jabodetabek. But in further development, they will expand their business reach and even plan to export Cubify. In the next few months, Fauzan and the team hope to add product variations and design choices to increase the appeal of their business.
