AI for a Better Future: Surabaya Innovation Challenge 2025 Recap

On 3 June 2025, our Surabaya Campus came alive with energy, creativity, and purpose as 72 participants – 61 undergraduates from Indonesia-based universities and 11 entrepreneurs, startup founders, and industry professionals – came together for the Surabaya Innovation Challenge: AI for Impact.

The challenge:
How can we use AI for a positive, sustainable social change? ⭐️✨

In just one day, teams co-designed AI-driven solutions tackling issues across health, education, climate resilience, community building, and more. The atmosphere was fast-paced, collaborative, and inspiring from start to finish.

“It’s not even 24 hours yet, and we accomplished so much!”
“It didn’t feel like a competition, but more like collaboration.”
“Such an amazing opportunity to meet and work with students from other universities and people from the industry. That was exactly why I joined!”
– Challenge Participants

🏆 Big congratulations to our winners! We’re super proud of you 🚀🚀

• 🥇 First Prize – Fantastic 5 (-1) NAVIS – A wearable AI assistant that provides real-time environmental analysis to support visually impaired individuals in navigating their surroundings safely and confidently.
• 🥈 Runner-up – Gilmore GirlsGlucotrack – A smart plate integrated with an AI-powered app designed to help users track and manage glucose intake for better health outcomes.
• 🌟 People’s Choice – Restu Ibu – An AI-based learning platform that combines gamification with educational media to make learning more interactive and effective for students.

The challenge wasn’t just about generating ideas – it was about building meaningful connections between students and industry, and creating space for new kinds of problem-solving. With mentorship, teamwork, and creativity at the core, the day proved how AI can be shaped into a force for good when guided by local insight and human values.

A big thank you to everyone who made the event possible, from our dedicated participants to the mentors Arif Bawono Surya David Boy Tonara Putra Joel Lumi Desynta Tiara and judges Jacqui Lord Dr Nicolene Murdoch GAICD PFHEA Rachmat Anggara who generously shared their time and expertise, and our amazing team behind the scene! 🤍

We can’t wait to see where these ideas go next.

Stay tuned for future challenges and opportunities to collaborate!