The 2019 Lecture Series of Startup Institute was held on March 12th at 6:30 pm at the KUBS Main Building, 2nd floor. As a speaker, Donggun Lee, CEO of MyRealTrip, gave a lecture on the theme of “Starting Career in Startup.” MyRealTrip started as a local tour service in 2012 and is now a South Korea’s first free tour platform in which tourists are able to book their local tour services, flights and accommodations.

Lee first explained why he had decided to speak on the topic of the lecture. “Many people are often anxious when they start their first career at a startup, and I want to help them,” Lee said. Lee emphasized the identity of startups. “Startup can be a lot of confusion because rapid growth is its top priority,” he said. “You can learn from startups and develop only when you recognize this.”

Lee explained that a desire for professional jobs today could be an illusion. “Technology is changing so quickly, and the future is uncertain,” he said. “It’s a big fantasy that a particular technology or license would guarantee a career. So, it is rather wise to develop your general skills,” said Lee.

Lee then stressed that students can learn the ability to “define and structure problems” in startups. He also said that there are no experts because the problems they face are always new. “The ability to define and solve problems that can be learned from startups is the very “general” skill that is essential anywhere.”

Lee also stressed the importance of the challenge. “Don’t stay in your comfort zone. You have to go outside and continue to challenge yourself. You have to experience what you can do only in startups and make your own story,” he said.

Many questions from students then followed. One student from KUBS asked, “I wonder how you did the formation of your team in the early stages of your startup.” “In my case, I started with two business school students, but it’s not ideal,” Lee said. “It’s better to interact with students from different studies to have diverse background knowledge.”

Every semester, Startup Institute holds “Lecture on Demand,” a lecture series on practical matters, and “Lecture Series,” a lecture series on entrepreneurship and innovation. Classes are open for everyone including startup teams, KUBS students and anyone interested in starting a business. For related inquiries, you can contact the Startup Institute (02-3290-1699).