KUBS and STEPI Jointly Host “Global Young Innovators Talk”
On April 18 (Tue), Korea University Business School (Dean=Professor Soo Young Kwon) and Presidential Committee on Young Generation at Science & Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) jointly hosted “The Global Young Innovators Talk.” The topic of the session is entitled: “Global Collaborations for Youth Startups.” KUBS Dean Soo Young Kwon, STEPI President Jong-guk Song, Committee Chairman Yongho Park, and about 60 students attended the event. Miso Co-founder Haksu Lee and moonROK CEO Hannah Waitt shared their startup stories and know-hows to youth dreaming of starting a global business. The session included a panel discussion followed by networking session.
“It is an honor to host this wonderful event at the KUBS Startup Station, which is an innovation platform, for young global startups,” said Dean Kwon during his welcoming speech. “Hopefully, there will be more global exchanges and cooperation.”
After Dean Kwon’s welcoming speech, CEO Hannah Waitt talked about K-pop platform company “moonROK(
www.moonrok.com
)” and her startup story. The meaning of moonROK is the door to Korea. “I fell in love with K-pop after watching Girls’ Generation’s music video,” Waitt said. “Because I did not know about any Asian culture, I wanted to learn a language first.” She also mentioned about adaptation of Korean business and struggles that she went through as a female CEO. “You have to believe your thoughts. Keep in mind that the one who can persuade others is yourself,” she added.
▲ CEO Hannah Waitt
▲ Co-founder Haksu Lee
Miso Co-founder Haksu Lee delivered his company’s story including its establishment and the process of receiving support from venture capitalist “Y Combinator.” Miso provides on-demand home cleaning services and uses a system where cleaners with jobs do not have to pay membership fees and can reserve convenient locations and times. “At first, we started at a very small office. While we lived together, our efforts to discover innovative things everyday have been extremely helpful,” Lee said. “Even if it is slow in the beginning, I hope you can drive innovation in our daily life.”
