At an age when most teenagers are still figuring out what they want to be, Warren Xie is already knee-deep in forest preservation, artificial intelligence, and beekeeping.
The 17-year-old innovator is the mind behind Golden Nectar and OctaHive—two grassroots-driven initiatives born from his desire to help farmers in Jambi escape the cycle of slash-and-burn agriculture. Armed with empathy, tech-savviness, and a jar of honey, Warren is redefining what it means to be a changemaker.
Warren’s idea started with a conversation. After returning to Indonesia, he kept hearing the same word: haze.
“A lot of people say that when they think of Indonesia, they remember the haze of 2015,” Warren recalled. “That’s not the image we want.”
He noticed how beekeeping—which thrives in clean air—naturally discourages land burning, since bees are extremely sensitive to smoke. That insight led to Golden Nectar, a social enterprise that buys honey directly from local farmers and sells it to premium markets in Jakarta and Singapore.
“Farmers used to sell honey for just IDR 12,000 a bottle,” he said. “But in supermarkets, it can go for more than IDR 200,000.”
By cutting out the middlemen and adding value through branding and storytelling, Warren helped raise farmers’ monthly income to around IDR 5 million per person. Golden Nectar now records revenues of USD 15,000 per month, all reinvested into building climate-friendly agricultural models.
But Warren wasn’t done.
On a field trip, he discovered another issue: distance. “Some farmers had to travel two hours just to check on their hives,” he said.
So, he built OctaHive—a smart beehive fitted with sensors for temperature, humidity, and pests, plus a camera—all connected to an app. Now, instead of weekly visits, farmers can monitor their hives remotely and only step in when something’s wrong.
“OctaHive reduces manual labor by up to 70%, and operational costs by the same margin,” Warren explained. “But most importantly, it’s accessible. I don’t want this to be a shiny gadget only big corporations can afford.”
The tech has caught global attention. With backing from East Ventures, AC Ventures, and Sunova Capital Management, OctaHive earned a Bronze Medal at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva 2025.
Warren isn’t stopping with Jambi. He dreams of expanding both initiatives across Indonesia and into other regions facing similar challenges. His team is currently developing a solar-powered version of OctaHive—lighter, more energy-efficient, and even greener.
“For me, sustainability isn’t just about the tech. It’s about taking a stand,” he said. “If we can help even one community through innovation, that’s already progress.”
When asked what advice he’d give to other young people hoping to make a difference, Warren doesn’t hesitate.
“Just start with the problem closest to you,” he said. “You don’t need to be an expert to matter.”