“The Startup Train Keeps Running”… 2024 FALL CHOO CHOO DAY

On November 1, the Startup Institute (Director: Jungbien Moon) of Korea University Business School (Dean: Eonsoo Kim) hosted the startup demo day, ‘2024 FALL CHOO CHOO DAY,’ at D.CAMP Seolleung. Organized by the Startup Institute and supported by the LINC 3.0 Project Group and Campus Town Promotion Team, the event was sponsored by the Banks Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs (D.CAMP), Iljin Global, and Donghwa Group. Key figures in attendance included Dean Eonsoo Kim, Vice Dean Dae Il Nam, panelists, and five teams from the Startup Station. The panelists featured ▲ Kang Ki-hyun, Partner at FASTVENTURES ▲ Jung In-oh, Team Leader at POSTECH ▲ Kim Ha-kyung, CEO of ZDVC ▲ Eom Se-yeon, CEO of AUM Ventures ▲ Kim Ha-jung, Investment Analyst at Daseong Ventures, and ▲ Kim Na-yeon, Investment Analyst at Bon Angels. 

In the opening remarks, Young-Kyung Kim, Director of the Iljin Startup Support Center at the Startup Institute, stated, 'We have organized this demo day to bring together individual investors, venture capitalists, government agencies, startup-related organizations, and media representatives. We hope for continued support and interest in our future events.' Dean Eonsoo Kim followed, emphasizing that ”Korea University Business School was the first to establish a startup center and has supported 139 teams to date. We are excited to showcase the growth stories and future potential of the five teams presenting today.” 

Young-Hoon Park, CEO of D.CAMP, also shared his encouragement, stating, “Our mission is to nurture and develop startup teams, and I hope that the five teams presenting today will experience significant growth and benefit from our ongoing support." 

The five startup teams showcased at CHOO CHOO DAY included: 

▲ Alphamonto, an all-in-one styling service offering personalized solutions for men. 

▲ MATARI, which provides high-end Korean dining experiences, starting with the mechanized restoration of traditional Korean liquor. 

▲ Daebong, Daebong, an agricultural sourcing partner for online sellers 

▲ HEARLERS, an AI-powered, personalized interactive counseling service. 

▲ AKEO edu, a customized coding tutor platform. 

Before the presentations, Tae-Hyun Kim, CEO of Landing—a graduate startup team from the 14th cohort of Startup Station that participated in last year’s CHOO CHOO DAY—took the stage as an open mic speaker. Landing is a platform designed to streamline workflows for generative AI in design. CEO Kim envisioned the future achievements of the five teams, offering a virtual portrayal of the goals they might one day reach. He went on to advise, “Around this time last year, I felt like I had bought my ticket at the Startup Station and was beginning my journey. If your destination is clear, pursue your big dreams, even if there are obstacles along the way.” 

The event featured five-minute pitches from each startup team, followed by a seven-minute Q&A session with panelists and the audience. The day concluded with closing remarks from Jungbien Moon, Director of the Startup Institute, followed by a networking session for all participants.