Young Entrepreneurs Dive into Startups: Choo-Choo 17th Class ‘Homebrew’ Team Leader Chaehwan Son and ‘IApply’ Team Leader Kyumin Kim 

 On June 7th, Korea University Business School (Dean=Sangyong Kim) hosted the "2024 Startup Express Summer Season" at the LG-POSCO Business Hall, organized by the Startup Institute (Director=Jungbin Moon). Startup Express is a student startup competition held every summer and fall, managed by the Seung Myung-ho Center for Entrepreneurship Education Center. 

 Among the dozens of teams that applied for Startup Express, 13 teams made it to the finals. Homebrew, an AI music platform that allows users to listen to their favorite songs in their preferred voices, and I Apply, an AI service that simplifies the patent application process for patent attorneys, won the Seung Myung-ho Entrepreneurship Award and the Iljin Entrepreneurship Award, respectively. The KU Business Journal interviewed Homebrew Team Leader Chaehwan Son (Department of Health and Environmental Science 18), IApply Team Leader Kyumin Kim (DGIST), and team member Jungwoo Kim (Department of Computer Science and Engineering 21) to hear their thoughts on their startup journeys. 

Q. What inspired the name 'Homebrew' and what is your business idea? 

A. I was deeply inspired by Steve Jobs' autobiography, where he talks about the Homebrew Computer Club, one of the most influential clubs in Silicon Valley. We named our team Homebrew after this club. Our business idea revolves around AI music. We are experimenting with various aspects of AI music and our specific business goal is to launch a streaming platform where users can listen to AI-generated music. 

Q. What led you to choose this particular business idea? 

A. It wasn't an idea that came from intense brainstorming; rather, it was an extension of thoughts we had been having. While riding the bus with my co-founder, we heard an old song playing. We thought, "Wouldn't it be great if we could transform this song using AI?" We both enjoy music a lot. Music is universal; it can be enjoyed regardless of genre. When I was twenty, the band Jannabi performed at our Daedong Festival, and we were mesmerized by their music. Our idea naturally extended from our interests in the field of music. 

Q. What motivated you to apply for Startup Essential? 

A. To start a business or a startup, you need ‘funding’. Of course, we needed funds for our business. Internally, we aimed to win prizes to use as business capital. We decided to give it a shot while preparing our current project, and applied alongside government support programs. We weren’t nervous about the presentation. We were confident because we were simply presenting what we had done and outlining our vision based on that. 

Q. What are your future plans? 

A. Many people view startups as a means to build a resume, a hobby, or an experience. However, we see it as a serious business endeavour. We plan to approach it with the intensity and deliberation that running a business requires, rather than seeing it as just a game or experience. Instead of being known as a team that works a lot and tries hard, we want to be recognized for our results, as a team that performs well and speaks through its achievements.

Q. Kyumin Kim and Jungwoo Kim seem to be quite close. What is your relationship? 

A. We are high school classmates. We lived in the dormitory together for three years. I didn’t realize it back then, but when talking with elementary school friends, I found out we attended the same Go academy. I went on to attend DGIST, while my friend went to Korea University's Department of Computer Science. Now, we have teamed up as team leader and member to embark on this startup journey. 

Q. Your team name changed after winning the award. 

A. We had some trademark issues, so we changed our name to the current one, IApply. Our service is based on trademark applications, and since ‘apply’ is a key term, we initially considered ‘AI Apply.’ We eventually shortened it to ‘I Apply,’ meaning ‘I apply’ for trademarks, to align with our AI-driven service. 

Q. What inspired you to choose your current business idea? 

A. We personally experienced the importance of trademark registration. I observed the process where patent attorneys assisted with applications. Most trademark registrations can be done independently with a little effort from the applicants. We believe that AI can handle 80-90% of the trademark application process, with patent attorneys assisting with the remaining 10%. That’s our goal. I have also registered trademarks myself and found the process manageable. However, since patents are relatively more complex, we are currently focusing solely on trademark applications. 

Q. What motivated you to apply for Startup Essential? 

A. There was an event at the Seoul AI Hub Workshop. I was looking for various external activities and decided to participate in the workshop. My friend was also studying at Korea University, so we applied together. We had previously received the Preliminary Startup Package organized by the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development in 2023. 

Q. How did you feel after moving in after the Iljin Entrepreneurship Award? 

A. We needed the prize money, so it was beneficial to receive it. In the long term, it's great to meet various people here, including other entrepreneurs and Youngkyung Kim, the center director. Networking has been helpful because I have only interacted with developers and researchers. Coming here, I've met many impressive entrepreneurs, which has been inspiring. It's like breaking out of a shell and seeing the world from a broader perspective. The greatest advantage has been this expansion of my horizons. 

Q. What are your future plans? 

A. Entrepreneurs need to make money. While social ventures might be different, running a business means that you need to generate profit from clear business goals and ideas. Rather than focusing on securing investment or expanding rapidly, our goal is to have a solid business idea that generates stable income.