The high-speed train to a successful startup, 2021 Startup Express Summer Season held 

KUBS(Dean=Bae Johngseok) Startup Station(Head=Shin Hojung)’s 11^th teams were selected. 2021 Startup Express Summer Season, held on June 4^th (Fri), was conducted online yet filled various ideas of pre-entrepreneurs with passion and entrepreneur spirit.

Startup Express is hosted by KUBS Startup Station, supervised by Seung Myeong Ho Entrepreneurship education center(Head = Dongseop Lee) and sponsored by Korea University Management Research Association and the Social Value Committee of SK SUPEX Pursuit Council. It is a startup competition in which participants propose creative business items based on entrepreneurship and innovation.

△ Startup Station head Shin Hojung △Director of Startup Station Dongseop Lee △ Director of Startup Station Jungbien Moon △ Startup Station professor Jaiho Chung △ Startup Station professor Jin Gyu Park △Director of Iljin Global R&D Center Lee Seung Pyo △Head of Hankook Ilbo new public enterprise planning Lee Yong Hyun △Donghak enterprise online service team leader Hwang Joon Hyun △Happynarae Social Venture team leader Kim Jin Young △MCM Head of Corporate Development Shin Myeong Chul participated as the jury.

Director of Startup Station Dongseop Lee introduced successful companies that have experienced the Startup station’s startup supporting program and said, “We hope the world becomes a better place with your innovative ideas and passionate drive.”

Associate research director of KUBS Song Oh Yoon welcomed the participants by saying, “Startup Station has fostered many exceptional startups with various programs and is the fastest train among Korea’s university-level startup supporting institutes.” “We hope this day will be a meaningful milestone in achieving your dreams. We will support your aspirations until the end.”

A total of twelve teams that passed prior evaluation introduced their business items. △ Monthly fruit delivery service for single-person households (Fruiting) △Data based customized clothing manufacturing solution (MCMC) △Region based social discovery application for college students (Yeonkoring) △Audio based music recommendation platform (Nisoo) △Production and sale of healthcare products for women (BiGi) △Community based Survey platform to aid college students’ assignments (Pumasi) △Location based social networking service (addy) △Investment information platform for individual investors (Hanul) △One stop home gardening platform(Greenery) △Delivery and collection of eco-friendly tableware (Covering) △Production and delivery of vegetarian meal kits produced with social farms(Hambat Flower) △Clothing rental service for soldiers that use terminal lockers (Weak-hearted company) were each given five minutes to present and five minutes for Q&A.

The jury evaluated the teams based on △creativity △marketability △validity of the business △level of research and analysis. Eight teams that were chosen to board the Startup Express were △Covering (Seung Myung-Ho Entrepreneurship award) △ Weak-hearted company (Iljin startup incubator award) △ Hambat Flower (SK Social Value award) △ Yeonkoring △ Fruiting △ Greenery △ BiGi △ Hanul (participation awards).

Teams awarded with △ Seung Myung-Ho Entrepreneurship award △ Iljin startup incubator award △SK Social Value award are rewarded with three million KRW for operation funds, and eight teams including △participation award winners can move into the Startup Station. They will receive systematic enterprise education and support as well as continuous consultation and support form mentors composed of senior entrepreneurs, industry experts and venture capitalists.

Iljin startup incubator award winner Weak-hearted company said, “We think we received this award because many agreed to the problem that our team identified. We will do our best to solve this problem.”

Startup Station head Shin Hojung concluded the event by encouraging the teams. “If there is a problem that you wish to solve, make a constant effort. Startup Station will do its best to support your passion.”

Korea University Business School’s Startup Institute has fostered 80 companies until today and total enterprise value of all companies that have moved in is approximately 100 billion KRW, making the Startup Institute a successful university startup supporting institute.

Reporter | Park Hye Jung (College of Liberal Arts, Korean Language and Literature ‘19)

Photographer | KUBS Startup Station