Sandi Pamungkas

Sandi Pamungkas, a student innovator from Indonesia’s Natuna Islands, is using technology and entrepreneurship to solve some of the country’s most pressing challenges. The first in his family to attend university, Sandi studies Business Technology at Pertamina University on a full scholarship and is top of his class. But it’s his work beyond the classroom that is changing lives across Indonesia.

Sandi is the founder of MooApps, an award-winning livestock management platform helping over 5,000 herders track the health, productivity, and trading of more than 150,000 animals. With AI-powered health monitoring, educational tools, and access to veterinary consultation and marketplaces, MooApps has been named Indonesia’s Most Impactful Start-up and won first place at the Taiwan International Presidential Hackathon, where Sandi was personally honoured by Taiwan’s President.

Driven by a mission to empower underserved communities, Sandi has also built Sky Water, a clean water initiative reaching over 1,000 people across seven districts in Natuna, and Carboncycle, an innovative device that converts mechanical, solar and thermal energy into electricity. His Livirove mangrove conservation project ties environmental restoration to local economic empowerment, providing jobs for coastal families and helping combat climate change.

Sandi’s national and international awards include top research honors for innovative papers on energy, agriculture, and economic development, and his research has been published by Bank Indonesia. A youth leader mentoring thousands through his entrepreneurship programme in Jakarta, he has helped peers secure funding, pitch ideas, and launch ventures.

His work has impacted over 50,000 people across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. As a student from an island near the disputed South China Sea, Sandi understands what it means to grow up in a region affected by conflict and isolation. His dream is to transform Natuna into a hub of innovation, sustainability, and resilience ​​– and to show the world how youth from overlooked communities can drive global change.