Phoenix Team ITB Wins Intrapreneurship Award at L'Oreal Brandstorm 2019 Competition
BANDUNG, itb.ac.id – ITB students have once again achieved success in an international competition. The Phoenix Team ITB, represented by three students from the School of Electrical Engineering and Informatics (STEI), won the 2019 Intrapreneurship Award at the L’Oreal Brandstorm 2019 competition in Paris, France on May 24, 2019.
The Phoenix team consists of Albert Sahala Theodore (Informatics Engineering 2016), Johan Poernomo (Electrical Engineering 2016), and Rifda Annelies (Information System and Technology 2016). Previously, the team won the L'Oreal Brandstorm 2019 event in Jakarta on March 21, 2019.
L’Oreal Brandstorm is a competition organized by the cosmetics company L’Oreal with the theme “Invent the Future Skincare Experience for Health-Conscious Consumers” and in coordination with L’Oreal Active Cosmetics.
At the international stage, L'Oréal Brandstorm 2019 attracted a diverse group of individuals from 65 countries, represented by one team from each country. In this competition, each participant had to propose a technological innovation integrated with L'Oréal products to the judges. Previously, the Phoenix Team managed to defeat competitors from all over Indonesia and was entitled to represent Indonesia.
In the competition, Team Phoenix ITB presented a bracelet called EzBand, equipped with a smartphone app and a product design proposal from L'Oreal Active Cosmetics, namely La Roche-Posay. The product innovation was motivated by the issue of eczema (eczema) which is rampant in the world of skin health. Eczema itself is characterized by a rash on the skin and can appear due to several triggers such as allergies, dry skin, and temperature changes.
Eczema can only be cured with daily care to prevent skin rashes. The Phoenix ITB team focuses on children, as symptoms can appear as early as age 5 and can have significant psychological and psychosocial impacts. Therefore, parental support is essential for the care of children with eczema.
To fulfill their stated function and focus, the members of the Phoenix ITB Team applied the knowledge gained from their respective departments and created the EzBand. The EzBand is a bracelet that serves as a reminder for skin care for children with eczema who wear the bracelet. These reminders are also sent via a smartphone app accessed by parents, so parents can use appropriate skin care products on their children so that the symptoms of the disease can be resolved.
Interviewed by ITB's PR reporter, Johan said that in developing this product, the team members also tried to apply currently popular and rapidly developing sciences, such as IoT (Internet-of-Things) and mobile applications. The Phoenix ITB team also made an attractive design proposal for mothers and children, namely crayons that are easy to use, practical, and portable.
"The experience from this competition was very interesting because it provided a platform for development and I was able to apply my knowledge of electrical engineering, because the device itself is related to IoT," said Johan.
In preparation for this competition, the Phoenix ITB Team made several improvements to their product, ensuring greater stability and usability. Furthermore, the Phoenix ITB Team also prepared by mentoring with L'Oréal Indonesia mentors, practicing presentations, and engaging in calming activities, such as group walks.
In this competition, the ITB team had to participate in the first series of events of L'Oreal Brandstorm 2019, namely a workshop. This workshop consisted of two sessions: the first session on L'Oreal product innovations that are directed towards technology, and the second session focused on perfect pitching and how to deliver content so that the judges or listeners can feel and understand better.
"This competition was very interesting to participate in. We received mentoring from highly experienced speakers during the workshop sessions and gained real-world learning. We also had the opportunity to meet people from diverse backgrounds," said Albert, another member of Team Phoenix.
After the workshop session, the teams competing in the 2019 L’Oreal Brandstorm had to pitch their booths to three groups of five judges each. In that session, the teams had to explain their innovations to the judges and convince them of their innovations. After the pitching session, the top 6 teams were selected, coming from America, Canada, India, Portugal, Germany, and Indonesia. Each team then presented on a large stage in front of the public and L’Oreal executives. After the presentation, the judges decided that Team Phoenix ITB had won the 2019 Intrapreneurship Award.
"We are very happy to represent ITB in this global competition. We also got to meet new friends and mentors who were very constructive in providing advice," said Rifda.
As the champion of this competition, Phoenix Team ITB was given the opportunity to do an internship and collaborate with L’Oreal for three months at Station F. During this period, Team ITB together with L’Oreal will develop their innovation prototype into a real product that can be implemented in the real world. Phoenix Team ITB also hopes that this product will be used generally and be beneficial for many people. “Never be afraid to try, the important thing is there is commitment,” said Albert.
Reporter: Verdyllan Nurrendra Agusta (Industrial Engineering 2016)