Being the youngest professor at the SBM ITB, Wawan Dhewanto has a prolonged time before retiring. He wants to spend that time to disseminate entrepreneurial knowledge beneficial to society.
Wawan is ITB’s first professor in entrepreneurship and startup. Becoming a professor at the age of 45, Wawan is the youngest of eight professors at SBM ITB.
Wawan is the first head of the SBM-ITB Entrepreneurship Study Program (2013/d 2017). It is the first entrepreneurship study program and is one of the motors of entrepreneurship education in Indonesia. Currently, Wawan is also the Secretary of the ITB Academic Senate.
Wawan plans to spend his time contributing to spreading the entrepreneurial ‘virus’ nationwide. In addition, Wawan hopes to contribute to developing the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Indonesia.
“Hopefully, my entrepreneurship knowledge can be useful in various contexts, such as digital startups, MSMEs, corporate entrepreneurship, family businesses, social entrepreneurship, women’s entrepreneurship, rural entrepreneurship, tourism entrepreneurship, and pesantren entrepreneurship,” said Wawan.
Many values in his family, instilled by his parents that are exemplary in Wawan’s life today.
What motivates him best is that the value of start everything with good intentions. “Focus on working hard, not the results,” he said.
Not to mention that hard work must also be accompanied by prayer for the best results.
Wawan’s childhood experiences are no less memorable. He admitted that it shapes his current personality. Among others were learning survival from childhood and learning how to adapt and adjust lifestyle to suit any circumstance.
A concrete example is that shopping does not have to be in modern markets but can be in traditional markets. You don’t have to eat at a cafe, but you can eat at a warung (a small restaurant). Transportation means does not have to be a car, but you can take a bicycle or angkot (public transport).
Hence, he strives to set an example for his little family. In his spare time, Wawan often invites his family to go for a morning walk together.