Youth Startup Meeting: 'People' more important than technical skills. We need more support for talent acquisition.
- 관리자
- 2024.02.01
▲On the 1st, Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (second from the left) is presiding over a field visit meeting for youth startup companies at Hanyang Comprehensive Technology Research Institute in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. (Photo provided by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups)
Entrepreneurs expressed a desire for more support to secure 'good talent'.
On the 1st, Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups visited Hanyang University in Seoul's Seongdong-gu and visited Hoojekt, a resident company, to listen to the voices of youth and teachers in startup companies.
Minister Oh's visit to Hanyang University was his first university visit since taking office. It was initiated to listen to the opinions of youth startup companies housed within the university as part of the expanded support for youth entrepreneurship, one of the key policy directions.
At the meeting, Seong Mo-se Hoojekt CEO expressed, "As a small and medium-sized enterprise, it was often difficult to recruit good talent," adding, "Fortunately, we have secured good talent now, but being a small company, there were challenges.
" He emphasized the importance of people over technical skills, stating, "People are the most important in a company, and sometimes youth recruitment is more important than technical skills," and expressed his hope for more support in areas where young people tend to prefer being in the center of Seoul.
Son Chae-hyun, CEO of GreenLab, said, "Our headquarters are in Gwangju, but good friends come in, invest a lot, and when they're educated, they move up to Seoul." He added, "Our business requires artificial intelligence (AI) talent, but there isn't much AI talent in the region," and said, "There is a burden to bring in excellent talent from Seoul, such as providing accommodation."
Son suggested, "It would be great if there were programs to support bringing talent from Seoul to other regions."
Minister Oh empathized with the difficulty of securing talent and stated that he would consider various policy options, including making regions outside Seoul viable centers for startups.
Lee Min-sung, CEO of Liberation, said, "Startup support programs focus on companies in their third or fifth year, but it would be great if there were more programs for companies that have surpassed the deadline and can still grow."
Minister Oh responded, "I've heard from many places that there is a need to extend the startup criteria period, and I will consider it as an agenda item," adding, "We will consider how to connect companies in the growth stage, even if not named startups, with various programs within the Ministry of SMEs and Startups."
Young entrepreneurs suggested dividing self-payment for initial startup packages, various support programs for employee wages, and easing the burden of hiring regular employees related to business support programs.
Minister Oh said, "We will expand support for youth in all aspects of life and create an environment where young talents can boldly challenge entrepreneurship through the advanced development of youth startup support programs," adding, "We will create Hanyang University as a hot place for regional innovation where excellent youths and startups gather, exchange creative ideas, and innovate."
On the same day, Minister Oh visited the Startup Support Team at Hanyang Comprehensive Technology Research Institute and inspected the university's startup infrastructure, encouraging officials. Hanyang University has been designated as the leading institution for the Startup-Centered University Project initiated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups since 2022 and is making efforts to promote startup activation within the university, including support for university-based and youth startup companies.
Minister Oh also visited Hoojekt, a startup company incorporated at Hanyang Comprehensive Technology Research Institute. Hoojekt is a father-and-son startup company founded by Professor Seong Tae-hyun of Hanyang University, who holds original technology, and his son, Seong Mo-se, with the aim of commercializing energy harvesting technology.