The 2019 Lecture Series hosted by KUBS (Dean: Kim Jae Wook) and Startup Institute (Head: Kim Hicheon) was held at Hyundai Motor Hall on December 10. Do Hyun-Myung, CEO of Impact Square, was the speaker under the theme of "DIG DEEPER! Find New Opportunities in Social Issues."

CEO Do Hyun-Myung first explained why he started his business, Impact Square. "I worked for a long time in the game planning team of Naver, but I came to think that my work was unsustainable in the future," Do said. "I learned about the concept of ‘social enterprise’ after reading the book ‘80 Alternative Entrepreneurs Who Changed The World.” CEO Do stressed the competitive importance of "social values," explaining why companies should be interested in social issues. "In order to pursue social values, we had to sacrifice economic value, but I believe that Impact Square can be designed so that social value can be competitive as a form of business," Do said. "This concept is called Impact Business, and Impact Square plays a role as an accelerator for these impact businesses."

CEO Do then continued to introduce the cases of Poiene, Opa Tech, Element and Hotel Cappuccino, which were all accelerated by Impact Square. "Just having good social values does not appeal anything," CEO Do said. "Only when it leads to a new kind of customer experience can we secure customers with royalties and create value." "I think social values are non-reversible trend," Do said. "If you find value in something deeper, you will have a chance to grow higher."

After the lecture, a question and answer session followed. One student asked about the difference between startups and social ventures. "Although we start our own businesses to satisfy the desires of the market, most social problems arise because they are not traded in the first place," CEO Do said. "Creating social values is creating new values that were not originally traded in the market.”

Every semester, Startup Institute provides startup education through "Lecture on Demand," a working-level lecture series, and "Lecture Series," a special lecture series on startups and ventures. Classes are open courses, which means they are open to not only the employees of a tenant company, but also anyone interested in starting a business. For related inquiries, you can contact the Startup Institute (02-3290-1699).