Startups with Seoul

Startups with Seoul

By Chang Kim and Aviram JenikBusinessEntrepreneurship
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Startups with Seoul episodes

  • Startups with Seoul Ep 8 - CY Choi

    CY talks about his career spanning an endowment fund, a venture capital, and a tech company overseeing their M&A.

    Main takeaways:
    1. "I've spent my entire career in the world of investment, crossing many different functions and asset classes, and I'm also an avid meditation practitioner... My journey from the University of Chicago's endowment office to CPP Investment Board and then onto leading roles in venture capital and tech investment shows a diverse exploration of the financial and technological landscapes."

    2. "Diving into drones and aviation, I pursued my passion, which led me to acquire a drone license. Becoming a pilot was challenging, but it was a fulfilling journey that opened up new perspectives on regulations and innovations within the aviation industry."

    3. "Investors should reach out first and ask questions, offering respect and a genuine desire to understand founders and their technology. It's about being humble, recognizing the role of luck in success, and maintaining a learner's mindset to truly support and value the innovative efforts of startups."

    1 hr 4 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep 7 - Jiwon Hong of Yesplz.ai

    Jiwon shares her journey from a big company to her own startup, sales technics, and life hack tips.

    Main takeaways:
    1. "I always wanted to start my own company... It was the right time. My mission was working with startups for open innovation and tech sourcing... That's where I got to experience the startup ecosystem, and I didn't want to be a supporter any longer. I wanted to build and experience the whole journey."

    2. "We quickly built a product that visual filter right idea... we called it the mannequin filter... from there we just quickly built it."

    3/ "Don't come to the US until you have a client... everything now, I make my sales call over Zoom, and my clients find me through Google... organic search."

    1 hr 4 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep 6 - Jiho Kang of Antler Korea

    Jiho's journey from a startup entrepreneur to a successful VC; Tips for the Korean startups based on Jiho's observation of different Antler programs in different countries.


    Main takeaways:

    1. "It's your business, right? And if you started a business because you wanted to be your own boss, then part of becoming your own boss is making your own decisions and not allowing other people to make those decisions for you."

    2. "There's no right or wrong answer to approaching a problem... you have to be responsible and come up with a plan, a solution, and a resolution, and again, push forward and kind of take responsibility for that."

    3. "Great founders can emerge from anywhere, including South Korea, and because of the transformation that South Korea has gone through over the past 50 years, it's at a point where the founders in Korea don't have to fly over to Silicon Valley anymore to build a great business."

    1 hr 1 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep 5 - Clara Hong of Smore

    Episode 5 of Startups with Seoul with Clara Hong of Smore hosted by Chang Kim and Aviram Jenik of Rabbit Ventures.

    Featuring practical tips to do business development in the US.

    Main takeaways:
    (1) On Embracing the Start-Up Journey:

    "Start your startup right now because it's honestly going to be the path that has everything you're looking for in life. That is your calling. So stop thinking about stupid law school... Everything you're looking for is in the path of being a startup founder. You're gonna love every day of it."

    (2) On the Importance of Networking and Momentum:

    "You only need to have four meetings booked before you actually come to the US... and immediately after that, you have to start booking meetings for the week after... As founders, you always have to be the one who keeps your own momentum and drive going."

    (3) On the Reality of Reaching Out and Experimentation:

    "Tenacity is the only keyword... People would disconnect with me on LinkedIn, block me because I've messaged for too long... You have to have really thick skin. It's okay to feel down... but you have to pick yourself up tomorrow. Tomorrow is another day, and you have to start fresh."

    48 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep 4 - David Yi of Ethos VC

    Episode 4 of Startups with Seoul, with David Yi of Ethos VC. Hosted by Chang Kim and Aviram Jenik of Rabbit Ventures.



    Main takeaways:



    (1) On the Bridging Role of Ethos Fund:



    "At Ethos Fund, we believe in the power of character and spirit — the ethos of a founder and their startup. Bridging the United States and Vietnam, we're at the heart of Korea's pivotal role in the startup ecosystem, where over 50% of our LPs hail from Korea. It's not just about investments; it's about creating a global impact."



    (2) On the Dynamic and Youthful Energy in Vietnam's Startup Scene:



    "The first thing you notice landing in Vietnam is the youthful energy. It's a country brimming with potential, where young entrepreneurs are not just dreaming but actively building new companies. This vibrancy is something the Korean startup ecosystem connects with deeply, reflecting a shared spirit of innovation and ambition."



    (3) David Yi's Personal Journey and Perspective on Growth:



    "As an eight-time founder with two exits, I've seen the landscape from multiple angles. It's not about being a hero but about building a team, learning, and evolving. Whether it's in education or tech, the journey is about adapting and finding your path, not just in Korea but globally."



    54 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep 3 - Ryan Lee of Jigo.ai

    Episode 3 of Startups with Seoul - Ryan Lee of Jigo.ai hosted by Chang Kim and Aviram Jenik of Rabbit Ventures.


    Main takeaways:
    1. On the Importance of User Feedback:

    "The only ground truth in startups is user behavior... It happens before you actually have any code. Pre-code, talk to users, potential users at that time, and look at the problem they're trying to solve."

    2. On Learning and Adapting in Business:

    "Be careful who you reach out to, and take advice from people who are closer to what you want to achieve... No one in our generation has cracked [the global market] yet, so keep that in mind when you get advice."

    3. On Emotional Intelligence in Leadership:

    "[If I could go back,] I would take more risks and be more empathetic. When I was younger, I thought emotions were a weakness... but as I've grown older I found that emotions are what makes us human."

    1 hr 5 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep 2 - Chris Chae of Relate CRM

    Episode 2 of Startups with Seoul with Chris Chae of Relate CRM. Hosted by Chang Kim and Aviram Jenik of Rabbit Ventures.


    Main takeaways:
    1. On Pivoting and Finding Market Fit:

    "We actually pivoted five or six times during the course of our journey so far. It was a full pivot too, like it's not like, should we try this feature or that feature, it was more like an entirely different kind of business every single time."

    2. On Building for a Global Market:

    "If you're looking to go global, I mean, like, you got to be global. There's no way you will build a SaaS product that millions of people will use globally if you don't build global features."
    3. On Learning and Growing as a Founder:

    "If I had that experience under my belt, then I would know what works and what doesn't work right off the bat. And that's an important thing to have as an experience as a founder, you know, trying to move faster and trying to build products and sell to customers within the limitations of your runway."


    50 min
  • Startups with Seoul Ep1 - Paul Lee of Tribe Capital

    Episode 1 of "Startups with Seoul" with Paul Lee of Tribe Capital. Hosted by Chang Kim and Aviram Jenik of Rabbit Ventures.


    Main takeaways:
    1. On the Importance of Empathy and Understanding in Venture Capital:

    "I think it allowed me to develop real empathy towards founders because it's really tough to build companies at the earliest stages and then get it to scale up and, at the end of the day, even getting it to an outcome is super tough."

    2. On the Evolution and Impact of AI:

    "This whole AI boom is really interesting. I don't think I've been this excited about tech ever before... It's a really exciting time because fundamentally, we've reached an inflection point where AI is going to drive a lot of these workflows and enable more than human in the loop type of ecosystems."


    47 min

About Startups with Seoul

From the publisher's feed

Chang Kim and Aviram Jenik from Rabbit Ventures talk about the Korean startup ecosystem and how Korean startups can enter the US market.