The opening ceremony of the 7th “Ewha Impact Startup Academy 2025 with Yulmae Nanum.”
- Date2025.10.02
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On September 25 (Thursday), the Interdisciplinary Program in Social Economy at the Graduate School of Ewha Womans University (Program Chair Professor Kang Min A) hosted the opening ceremony and the first session of the “Ewha Impact Startup Academy 2025 with Yulmae Nanum” (Director Professor Jang Yi Kwon, Program Professor and Adjunct Professor Kim Min Jeong).
Since its launch in 2019, the Ewha Impact Startup Academy (hereafter “the Academy”) has been held annually for seven years. It is a program that combines systematic startup education with business development and scaling strategies. The Academy aims to strengthen participants’ understanding of the startup process, enhance their practical execution skills, and help them build networks with field experts to grow into professional entrepreneurs.
A total of 13 teams (8 teams in Seed 0 and 5 teams in Seed 1), comprising 42 outstanding participants, were selected for the 2025 Academy. This year’s participating teams proposed innovative ideas to solve various social issues such as elderly care, disaster safety, educational inequality, environmental upcycling, early diagnosis of hearing loss, and protection of abandoned animals. The Seed 0 track (led by mentor Kang Ae Na, Venture Partner at MYSC, English Literature Class of 2008) focuses on discovering social issues and developing innovative solutions at the idea formation stage. The Seed 1 track emphasizes scaling up and creating sustainable impact through networking and collaboration with field experts to develop business and expansion strategies.
The opening ceremony was hosted by Adjunct Professor Kim Min Jeong (Interdisciplinary Program in Social Economy, Public Administration Class of 1992) and included a welcoming address by Director Professor Jang Yi Kwon (Division of EcoScience / Interdisciplinary Program in Social Economy).
Professor Jang said, “I applaud your passion for tackling social challenges and hope this program will be a meaningful opportunity to learn and communicate with startup experts active in the field.”
Encouragement remarks were also delivered by Seo Ji Hee, CEO of Ewha Holdings Co., Ltd., and Kim Sang Jun, Director of the Ewha Startup Support Foundation, who pledged continued support for strengthening the university’s startup ecosystem and fostering collaboration for solving social problems.
The first special lecture featured three startup founders collaborating with KOICA to create global impact. Cha Hong Seon, CEO of Cornerstone TNM, shared the background of his startup addressing challenges in rural areas and emphasized the importance of local partnerships. Seo Young In, CEO of MFM, discussed the process of developing innovative products based on biological resources and the lessons learned as a student entrepreneur. Kim Ji Seon, Director of WeFlat, shared experiences from the early solution verification stage and strategies for overcoming challenges in domestic and global market expansion.
After the lecture, Nam Bo Hyun, CEO of HGI (Mass Communication and Video, Class of 1999), one of Korea’s leading impact investment firms, led a discussion as moderator. The speakers engaged in a candid conversation about their startup motivations, field challenges and solutions, future plans, and advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, providing valuable insights for student startup teams.The “Ewha Impact Startup Academy 2025” will conclude its program with a Demo Day on November 27. The Academy operates in two stages: the Seed 0 course for aspiring entrepreneurs, focused on strengthening educational and foundational skills, and the Seed 1 course for early-stage entrepreneurs, focused on networking and growth for startup success. During Demo Day, outstanding teams from each course will receive the President’s Award of Ewha Womans University and the Director’s Award of the Startup Support Foundation. Additional special awards and benefits will be presented by sponsors including the Yulmae Nanum Foundation, the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, and the MetLife Foundation.
Notably, the Top 3 teams from Demo Day will be matched one-on-one with executives from Ewha Holdings, SparkLabs, and CNT Tech as mentors. For six months following the selection, these teams will receive various forms of support, including connections to partner companies and investors.