Entrepreneurial Conference with Korean students

By Chloe Chan

On Saturday, December 1, ten YIBI members, led by YIBI Vice Presidents Chloe Chan and Max Chou from Mission San Jose High School, participated in an entrepreneurial conference with Korean students from BEEC at the Launching Pad in San Ramon, California. The YIBI members all qualified through the Youth Business Leadership Training Grand International Conference, and the Korean students were chosen through an extensive application process including a national CEO competition and a research report.

The event began with an introduction to YIBI, followed by presentations from five YIBI teams: ShoeGuard, Parkway, TrackBuddy, Halo, and Lend ‘n Rent and four teams from Korea: 3D4U, Starbugs, MCT, and Airblock. YIBI students were especially fascinated by the Korean student’s research and prototypes as explained in their presentations.

Groups were then split up for lunch, where American and Korean students intermingled and learned about each other's cultures, hobbies, startups, and more. Many groups talked about schooling in Korea and America, their entrepreneurship ideas, and, of course, K-pop.

After lunch, YIBI students mentored their Korean friends with their startup presentations, specifically with visuals, business terminologies, and financials. Though there was a strong language barrier, the students were able to communicate through simple Korean and English words, as well as with the help of Google Translate and hand motions. The conference ended with many selfies and the exchange of Instagram usernames, both parties hoping to stay in touch.

Through this exchange experience, the YIBI students gained much insight on the Korean students’ startup companies, and vice versa.Their shared interests in entrepreneurship fostered appreciation for each other, and both the YIBI and Korean students were able to learn more about business while making new friends.

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YIBI is an international organization dedicated to giving youth a top experience i business. President of YIBI, Erika Yang, founded this organization in 2014, and ever since then, YIBI has grown to over 15 branches in the US as well as five other international branches in countries like Zimbabwe, China, Japan, and Singapore. This internaionl opportunity fosters an interest and familiarity with business that students all around the world can experience. For more information or interest in joining, find us at yibius.org.