[Startup Lecture Series]
“Flexibility and Adaptability to Change” - Beom-Soo Kim, CEO of SEMA
On September 18
th
(Tue), KUBS Startup Institute invited Beom-Soo Kim, CEO of SEMA Translink Investment for a special lecture on ‘Working for a Startup Company’ at KUBS Startup Station, level 2 of KUBS Main Building. SEMA Translink Investment is a venture capital firm that was co-established by Translink Korea and SEMA.
Beom-Soo Kim first compared
Cyworld
with
in 2003 and 2018 respectively, suggesting that a lot has changed during the 15 years. Mr. Kim explained, “15 years ago we had Cyworld that was widely used, and now we have Facebook users all over the world.” “We need to be able to recognize the changes”, he continued, “and it is important to have international experience to understand the change that is happening in the world in depth.”
Mr. Kim then emphasized the importance of ‘adaptability to the change’. That is, the ability to multitask as well as being adaptable and flexible to market changes. In addition, he advised that “Startup companies are less resilient to risks than large companies. So the former has to be much more adaptable than the latter, to remain in the market.”
Mr. Kim stressed that “I know it is ironical, but here is a rule of thumb of running a startup: you cannot stay stable as you aim for stability – you will get left behind.” He continued that startups are for someone who can absorb the change. “Koreans think creatively and find an innovative solution until their thirties. But as they get promoted in their forties, that’s a different story.” “Given the market share of Korea’s large business groups, it is understandable. But obviously, it is not the best case scenario.”
In the Q&A session at the end of the lecture, one of the students asked Mr. Kim of his thoughts on participation in internship programs. Mr. Kim replied, “In fact, you want to lower the expectation to improve practical skills through the internship. Nevertheless, I think it is important that you show an enthusiastic attitude, and have a concrete idea of what you would like to learn and achieve.”
Each semester, KUBS Startup Institute holds practice-based lecture series ‘Lecture on Demand’ about startups and business venture. Anyone interested in the KUBS startup business teams and any KUBS students are welcome to participate in the lectures. For further inquiries, please contact KUBS Startup Institute at 02-3290-2551.
