Startup Support Foundation Successfully Holds the 7th Ewha Startup Forum N
- Date2026.06.15
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“START BEFORE YOU’RE READY”
Emphasizing the Importance of Challenge and Action
(From left) Kim Sang-jun, Director of the Startup Support Foundation; Cho William, Director of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation; President Lee Hyang-sook; Honorary Distinguished Professor Oh Young-joo; CEO Kim Min-jung; and CEO Park Yeo-kyung
The Startup Support Foundation of Ewha Womans University hosted the7th Ewha Startup Forum: “Just as We Are, Just as Startups Are”on May 27 at the LG Convention Hall in the International Education Building.
Now in its seventh year, the Ewha Startup Forum has established itself as a flagship entrepreneurship event where current students, alumnae, and members of the startup ecosystem come together to share experiences and build connections around entrepreneurship and new challenges.
This year’s forum was held under the theme,“START BEFORE YOU’RE READY: The Courage to Begin, Even Without Perfect Preparation.”The event aimed to deliver the message that, in a rapidly changing industrial landscape, students can grow by discovering opportunities and taking action rather than waiting until they feel fully prepared.
More than 200 participants attended the forum, including President Lee Hyang-sook of Ewha Womans University; Cho William, Director of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation; Oh Young-joo, Honorary Distinguished Professor of the Division of International Studies and former Minister of SMEs and Startups; startup professionals; alumnae speakers; current students; and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The forum began with welcoming remarks by Cho William and congratulatory remarks by President Lee Hyang-sook. President Lee stated, “Challenges do not begin after perfect preparation is complete; they begin with taking the first step even amid uncertainty. I hope today’s forum will serve as an opportunity for our students to discover their own potential and embark on new challenges.”
(Left) Honorary Distinguished Professor Oh Young-joo / (Right) CEO Kim Min-jung
The keynote speech was delivered by Honorary Distinguished Professor Oh Young-joo under the title,“The Era of Waiting Is Over: Stories of Problem Solvers in the Age of AI.”Her lecture explored industrial transformation in the AI era, emerging trends in the startup ecosystem, and the problem-solving skills and execution capabilities needed by future talent.
During the alumna special lecture, Kim Min-jung, CEO of CrePASS Solutions, shared her personal journey of deciding to launch a startup after building her career. Focusing on key “moments of decision,” she offered candid advice and insights to students.
Photo from the Startup Rookie Alumnae Talk Concert
The forum concluded with theStartup Rookie Alumnae Talk Concert, featuring Park Yeo-kyung, CEO of the integrated long-term care management solutions company DolbomTech; Lee Jeong-eun, Venture Capital Associate at GS Ventures; and Hwang Yoon-jung, Product Manager at Catch Table. Drawing on their diverse experiences as an entrepreneur, venture capital investor, and startup practitioner, the speakers shared their perspectives on career development and taking on new challenges while engaging in lively discussions with students. Participants showed particular interest in topics such as choosing between entrepreneurship and employment, career planning in the AI era, and the challenges and growth experiences associated with early-stage startups.
Kim Sang-jun, Director of the Startup Support Foundation, commented, “We hope this forum provided students with an opportunity to reflect not only on entrepreneurship itself but also on the importance of gaining experience through taking action rather than waiting for perfect preparation. We will continue to expand our entrepreneurship programs so that students can connect with the real startup ecosystem and experience a wider range of opportunities for innovation and challenge.”
The Startup Support Foundation and Entrepreneurship Center, which organized the event, currently oversee major entrepreneurship support initiatives, including the Ministry of Science and ICT’s Public Technology-Based Market-Linked Startup Exploration Program (TeX-Corps) and the Seoul Campus Town Project. In addition, the organizations actively serve as a control tower across all areas of entrepreneurship—including startup incubation, investment, and mentoring—and continue to discover and nurture promising student-led ventures as a leading institution for women’s entrepreneurship on the global stage.