The Climate Innovation League 2022 is a startup idea competition held annually by Ecoxyztem, a startup specializing in waste management. This event is a collaboration between Ecoxyztem as the organizer and the Delegation of the European Union to Indonesia, with the Ministry of Law and Human Rights serving as a supporting partner. The Climate Innovation League 2022 attracted hundreds of startups from across Indonesia working in the fields of environmental protection and climate change mitigation. The competition is divided into two categories: Early-Stage and University Track, to select finalists and winners who will later receive funding. Rubens Setiawan, a 2021 Meteorology student, had the opportunity to participate in this competition.
Initially, Rubens learned about the competition from his peers, Mentari K. Azzahra (GD’21) and Annisa E. Setiyani (PL’21). They invited Rubens to join the startup Eat Zero (EaZe), which operates in the field of food container rentals to reduce single-use plastic waste in the food and beverage industry. Rubens received this invitation around the end of May 2022 and eventually agreed to join EaZe as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Initially, the competition began with the submission of startup ideas along with brand presentation documents, commonly known as pitch decks. Based on the pitch deck submissions, EaZe was selected as one of 11 startups to advance to the bootcamp phase out of the dozens of startups that applied in the University Track category. The bootcamp phase, which consisted of mentoring sessions, took place from August 6, 2022, to September 28, 2022. Finally, on September 29, 2022, a final presentation and demo day were held in front of the general public at the Green Future Festival in the Gelora Bung Karno City Forest, Senayan, Jakarta. Based on the judging of the presentations and ideas, EaZe was named a finalist in the University Track category of the 2022 Climate Innovation League.
Although he didn’t win first, second, or third place, the 2022 Climate Innovation League provided Rubens with a wealth of experience and new perspectives. Some of the most memorable and valuable experiences were learning how to build a business effectively and managing time amidst a busy schedule. As a meteorology student who primarily focuses on atmospheric science and Earth systems, Rubens had almost no exposure to business or management studies. By participating in the 2022 Climate Innovation League, his perspective on business and entrepreneurship has broadened significantly. This activity also helped him understand the struggles of his parents who work in that field. Additionally, the timing of the Climate Innovation League 2022, which overlapped with his roles on the OSKM 2022 organizing committee and the Atmosphaira 2022 Initial Cadre Training, forced him to think creatively and strive to balance both in terms of time management and prioritization. Finally, the 2022 Climate Innovation League also allowed Rubens to meet many individuals from various academic backgrounds and fields of study who share the same goal of saving the Earth from the worsening climate crisis.
