Andrew Steven Puika, known as Andrew, has great passion and curiosity for immersive technology, especially Metaverse and Virtual Reality. This interest began with one of his hobbies: watching anime series. Andrew has been dedicated to spreading and educating about Metaverse and Virtual Reality in Indonesia for over eight years. This dedication departs from his dream of creating innovation in technology.
For Andrew, the problem with technology in Indonesia is limited access. Specialising in Metaverse and Virtual Reality, he wants to distribute technology democratically. "Immersive technology, for me, has the greatest potential to improve the standard of living of our people in the future. Consequently, in 2016, I co-founded SHINTA VR with Akira Sou and Andes Rizky," said Andrew, remembering the early period of his return from Germany. That year, Virtual Reality companies in Indonesia were less than today.
At SHINTA VR, Andrew applies the knowledge of technology (computer science) that he learned from BINUS University, TGGS (Thailand), and RWTH Aachen (Germany). Now SHINTA VR is his home. "I can apply research-based technology and case studies and have a scientific approach. My motivation with SHINTA VR is that I feel like working and having a happy career simultaneously," Andrew continued, followed by his confession about his enjoyment of learning. Andrew is a learner with high integrity. Every day for him is an update on the novelty of technological insights. Since joining SHINTA VR, Andrew has also learned to incorporate technology into his business.
From 2015 until now, Andrew has been dedicated to initiating Virtual Reality and Metaverse projects, both nationally and internationally. By joining SHINTA VR, which embodies his commitment, Andrew strives to consistently make a positive and tangible impact from immersive technology on the people of Indonesia. In Andrew’s words, "However, an understanding of technology must be accompanied by industry knowledge that equips it," emphasised Andrew.
Through SHINTA VR, Andrew's commitment is increasingly channelled so that he can build a network to build a more comprehensive relationship of recognition in the immersive technology ecosystem on a global scale. It is recorded that when he joined SHINTA VR in 2016, Andrew was consistently involved in designing three SHINTA VR products, including MilleaLab, SpaceCollab, and Virtual Character System. These three products are manifestations of SHINTA VR's commitment to the technology industry, namely, Making Impact with Immersive Technology.
In addition to technology products, SHINTA VR also empowers Human Resources through technology. This commitment manifests in the fact that Andrew is often asked to be an expert speaker in various formal forums, such as webinars or similar symposiums. Andrew shared one of his impressions: "I consistently represent SHINTA VR as a facilitator in the BINUS GLS (Global Learning System) program. In that program, I shared experiences about the VR technology industry, Immersive Technology, Metaverse, and entrepreneurship at BINUS University."
Since 2017, Andrew has accepted and mentored approximately 80 internship students from various study programs at BINUS University in the SHINTA VR and BINUS University internship collaboration programs. He realised that the commitment to building an immersive technology ecosystem is a long-term project. However, the inter-agency and inter-institutional partnerships SHINTA VR has been working on can become stepping stones that gradually form a technologically oriented society.
Therefore, Andrew feels lucky, together with SHINTA VR, to have established a partnership with BINUS University, his beloved alma mater, to meet the projection of the 2045 Golden Generation of Indonesia. "As a long-term project, this commitment must be sustainable. The partnership is a collaborative and community-based joint movement to keep updated on rapid technological developments," concluded Andrew when he was asked about the future ecosystem of the technology industry.
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