Networking at Korea’s #1 Startup Event
As an intern at PowerPT, one of Korea’s startup support agencies, I am being exposed to many networking opportunities. Yesterday, I attended NextRise with our company’s innovation team. NextRise is the largest startup event in Seoul and connects startups, corporates, and investors from around the world.
I was able to watch presentations on everything from startup marketing strategy to the future of startups during the current economic downturn.
NextRise was split into different arenas in an exhibition format. There were sections for Korean startups, university startups, and international startups. Startups attracted attendees to their booths in creative ways, with large TVs, live demos, and free prizes and swag. I even was able to see CRCC Asia, the company that facilitated my travel and internship in Korea this summer. Unfortunately, no one was attending the booth at the time. However, seeing CRCC Asia at NextRise brought everything full circle for me, showing how critical an event like NextRise is.
I was excited to take part in one of the largest events in Korea since the Covid pandemic began. It was special seeing everyone together as well as having the opportunity to watch founders pitch their companies to accelerators and investors. Walking around gave me perspective on how the pandemic affected the lives of everyone around the world, not just in my home of the United States. But it also showed me that we can all fight together and find ways to work around and overcome obstacles that are in our path. With 10k+ attendees, I thought I would feel like a small fish in a huge ocean, but I actually felt at home. Having the ability to network with a wide range of people made me feel like I was part of the Korean startup and global business community.
The most valuable aspect of attending NextRise was learning how to network properly. I observed how our Chief Innovation Officer, Jonathan Moore, interacted with former clients, past Podium Star attendees, and other investors and founders. I learned more of what business is — networking, reconnecting, and patience. Networking is important, but Jonathan showed me that reconnecting is just as vital for success. We walked around NextRise talking to his friends, former business partners, and people he had met once but wanted to follow up with. Jonathan mentioned the importance of showing face to remind people that you’re still around. There could be a potential business project just waiting to fall in your lap. His words were prophetic, as numerous people proposed us collaborative projects, in large part due to showing face.
One of the many panels I watched was at the corporate innovation lunch. Here, Jonathan joined a panel of senior executives from Techstars to discuss corporate innovation in Korea and around the world. He talked about the future of Korean startups and government funding during a potential economic recession and gave advice to VC, founders, and corporates on how to behave during such an event.
Overall, I had a very positive experience attending NextRise 2022. I was able to practice and improve my networking skills and observe the behavior of investors, founders, and accelerators. I’m looking forward to participating in more festivals like this in the future, both with PowerPT and after my internship ends. It was a great hands-on learning experience and introduced me to numerous people in the Korean startup ecosystem. I can’t wait to keep learning more!
