Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta (UMS) is committed to strengthening the national entrepreneurship ecosystem by holding the Alumni Entrepreneur Summit 2026 in Solo, Central Java. This forum serves as a strategic platform for students and alumni to collaborate, expand business networks, and contribute directly to strengthening the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector.
Rector of UMS, Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum., emphasized the importance of an entrepreneurial mindset starting from perseverance. He cited the success of Indonesian diasporas abroad who managed to build large-scale businesses after starting their careers from scratch. According to Harun, alumni play a vital role as a pillar of university sustainability in creating new jobs, rather than merely seeking employment.
Attending as the keynote speaker, Deputy for Entrepreneurship at the Ministry of MSMEs, M. Riza Damanik, highlighted the crucial role of business incubators within higher education institutions. He stressed that mentoring through incubation has been proven to drastically reduce the risk of business failure by 80 to 90 percent. Currently, the government continues to encourage more young people to enter the entrepreneurial world to drive the national economy.
Riza added that there are currently 754 incubator institutions in Indonesia, with Central Java being one of the regions with the highest distribution. The government has also provided various supporting instruments, ranging from access to financing, the Sapa UMKM digital platform, to business certification to ensure the future sustainability of young entrepreneurs' businesses.
