Hyunshik: I have benefited a lot from that class. Professors have given me a lot of advice about starting a business, and I think that the greatest benefits was that I found great startup colleagues.

Jaewoo: I think forming a good team is important for the campus CEO class. Although there are students who are genuinely interested in entrepreneurship, there are students that are attending because it is a compulsory class for Software Convergence interdisciplinary majors. If you were to be teamed with such students, it would be no different than doing a group project for other subjects. If it’s not about just fulfilling credits, then it is truly a great program for anyone considering creating a startup and are keen to gain something valuable from the class.

Office space provision and mentoring are the most useful methods of support for startups

Hyunshik: We entered the KUBS Startup Institute in June this year upon winning the School Entrepreneurial Competition. Being able to use office space for free is a great privilege for startups.

Saeryung: I also got a chance to enter the KUBS Startup Institute in February last year by placing at the startup competition. Since the startups are gathered together, I can communicate with other delegates and share information, and I can talk to managers and professors at monthly station meetings. Perhaps because I primarily interact with IT-related industry representatives, I think today is the first time I’ve said hello to the people from Enjoying Lions.

Jaewoo: I suppose we are in an unusual field (laughs). Because of this, I believe we have more challenges. It wasn’t to find subcontractors for the dried fruits, herbs, and sugar cane that go into the kits, and it was difficult to secure food stability.

Saeryung: I also had a hard time subcontracting. As a startup that had nothing to show I was snubbed numerous times. Fortunately, I met a good mentor and was able to overcome difficult moments.

Hyunshik: For startups, mentoring is a very reassuring and appreciated support method. In particular, we get a lot of help from the professor who is mentoring us now, since for a long time he used to work at a food company. Also, I plan to sell products through Wadiz crowdfunding, and I have been able to get a lot of advice from my professors about crowdfunding. Actually, creating a startup is not really difficult. It is what comes after that’s hard. I feel that it's really hard to build a system for the company and to systemize it.

Jaewoo: I always thought of starting a business and because of that, I’m still finding it fun rather than difficult. If you go to work at a company, you will do what is asked of you, but when it comes to issues at a startup, it’s you who has got to take the initiative to find a solution to resolve any problem. I like this process. Looking at the future and visualizing the bigger picture is also interesting.

Sukyung: I naturally thought that I would get a nine-to-five job but the work that I am doing is so fun that nowadays I am deliberating my career path. The process of creating new things is more fun than I had imagined.

Saeryung: The work’s fun, but it’s tough whenever there is a money issue. Until now, I have managed with the funds received from government support projects and reward money received from contests, and demo-days. Because it's not at a profitable stage yet, it's a matter of hanging on until it's profitable.

Hyunshik: Funding issues seem to be a common difficulty for all startups. We are now running the startup from funds and money out of our pocket. But right now, I'm trying to focus on product development. If I think that we can be competitive with the product by the end of this year or next year, then we will plan to actively seek funding. I believe we will be able to produce prototypes because fortunately, our partners had a good impression of us and although the order volume is well short of the minimum quantity, they have heartily agreed to make them.



Incubating that identifies potential rather than award results is what differentiates Korea University from other schools.

Jaewoo: It's only been a few months since we started, but the systematic incubation process at school seems to be growing us into a respectable business. I heard that Korea University's startup support is different from other schools in that respect. Whereas other schools are mainly focused on achievements, and the results of contests are important, Korea University’s concentration on incubating properly and connecting it to accelerators (venture company) are what sets them apart. From a startup’s perspective, this is something to be extremely thankful for.

Saeryung : Although we are in different industries, I think it would be good for both our companies to grow and become good startup examples. Once the YouTube service that I am doing now settles, I want to grow it into a data analysis company. Internally, I want to keep my promise to the employees by creating a firm and upright company.

Jaewoo: We have a clear plan for the future. Anyone who has an item that encompasses our company’s fundamental value of ‘relaxation and happiness’ can join us. Alcoholic beverages are only our first item, it can be reading, tea blending, or a variety of things in the future.

Hyunshik: We have officially set the working hours to be between two and six in order to sustain that value in the operations of our company. In the rest of the time, work is done freely. We need to have relaxation and happiness, so we can put the value into our products. Even just with this, we would like to prove that we can succeed. Above all, we hope that our society, which lives excessively hard, will become more relaxed and happy with our products.