📌 Interview with CEO Minsuk Min of the startup community seenthis (seenthis.kr)
https://seenthis.kr/notice/35
"Startups are lonely, and I wanted to create a platform to alleviate that loneliness."
Reporter: Mr. CEO, the phrase that started seenthis was “startups are lonely.” What did that mean?
CEO Minsuk Min: When you start a business, there are many times when you have to worry alone and bear the weight of failure alone. “Lonely” doesn't just mean not having people around, but rather, not having a channel to understand my problems. I thought a community was needed to alleviate that loneliness.
Reporter: I heard that you have experienced four startups in 10 years. How did the experience of failure and success affect seenthis?
CEO Minsuk Min: Frankly, I learned much more from failure than from success. Failure to attract investment, cash flow problems, difficulties in government support programs... Experiencing these, the emptiness of “not having anyone to ask” remained the biggest. seenthis is an attempt to fill that void.
Reporter: If you were to pick the loneliest moment?
CEO Minsuk Min: Actually, it's lonely from the moment you start a startup. You feel lonely in various aspects of the business, such as the process of gaining confidence in the item, the development process, company operations, meetings, and conflicts with employees. What I still remember is that I went to many investment meetings, and when the results were not good, the way home was too long and my heart was heavy, so I felt very lonely. I was at a loss, thinking, ‘What should I do now.’ If I had had someone's experience or just one piece of advice at that time, I would have been much less lonely.
Reporter: What is the most important value you considered when you first planned seenthis?
CEO Minsuk Min: 'Information sharing' and 'connection of empathy.' Creating a place where anyone can easily ask questions and anyone can answer was my first principle. There are many group chats that share startup information, but it's hard to participate in a room with hundreds or thousands of people, and thousands of messages pile up if you don't look for a while. It's difficult to participate in the materials or conversations you want. So, I felt the need for a traditional community.
Reporter: Among the know-how you shared directly, what content received the best response?
CEO Minsuk Min: Practical articles such as the interpretation of government support program announcements and how to write IR materials received a good response. Startups desperately need information that can be used immediately. In particular, I reviewed business plans and IR materials with the help of those who have been active as startup judges, and that service was very popular. The feedback was that the CEOs who started their businesses for the first time received a lot of help.
Reporter: What area is particularly active within the community?
CEO Minsuk Min: The support business talk and item introduction bulletin board are the most active. For companies in the early stages of their business, government support programs are an area that determines survival. When I meet startup CEOs, most of them are very cautious about disclosing their items in the early stages of their business. They are afraid of losing their valuable items, and they are afraid of being evaluated. But startups have to speak with their items in the end. So, I hope a culture of sharing items and giving and receiving feedback takes root.
Reporter: The enterprise information search and credit rating prediction functions are also impressive. How did you plan them?
CEO Minsuk Min: The enterprise information search was created because I wanted to know a little bit about the information of the companies I would deal with. I also saw this as a difficult part for startup CEOs. The credit rating prediction is because many founders worry about “how our company's credit will look” before investor meetings, and I thought that if they could show it in advance with data, they could become much more prepared founders. We plan to continue developing the services that startups need.
Reporter: You also held a startup support event, right?
CEO Minsuk Min: Yes, we are providing free advertising opportunities to startups that have been established within 3 years. Startups that have just launched a service or product often lack advertising expenses, so I wanted to help as much as possible. In fact, there were companies that increased sales through this event, and such cases give us great pride.
Reporter: How are you implementing SEO and public relations strategies?
CEO Minsuk Min: We focus on search optimization rather than paid advertising. Because the community itself is content, natural inflow occurs just by catching the search well.
Reporter: The slogan “Ask if you don’t know, answer if you do” is impressive. How is it reflected in actual operation?
CEO Minsuk Min: It's a slogan to emphasize communication. I wanted to symbolically show that seenthis is a traditional community service. We are reflecting the principle of creating an atmosphere that welcomes novice questions and sanctioning aggressive answers in operation.
Reporter: Are you planning offline networking?
CEO Minsuk Min: Yes. Startups ultimately get strength from meeting people. seenthis started online, but I definitely want to hold offline events. In fact, seenthis started with the question “Have you ever seen this?” I wanted to let many people know about the services and products of startups. Before planning the community, I had been considering a startup-specific exhibition, but I couldn't proceed due to financial problems. But if seenthis grows and receives investment someday, I want to rent the Ilsan Kintex exhibition hall as the first expense and hold an event where startups can enjoy themselves.
Reporter: What content do you think has the greatest potential for growth in the future?
CEO Minsuk Min: Item introductions and work talks. Item introductions can be linked to actual investment, so both companies and investors are highly interested. We want to grow work talk into a community that helps establish businesses and conduct practical businesses.
Reporter: Do you have any plans to use AI or automation technology in community operations?
CEO Minsuk Min: Yes, we are currently utilizing AI and automation in many functions of seenthis. Most of the data, such as support business search, analysis, summarization, and translation, are automated with AI. The ultimate goal is to create a “platform where an AI assistant first provides the information needed for startups.”
Reporter: I heard that the seenthis server is operated on a laptop. Could you explain in detail?
CEO Minsuk Min: Like other startups, I also started very small. I installed Linux on a 10-year-old laptop and made a server on my desk in my room. In the early days, there was little data and few visitors, so one was enough. Now, the data and visitors have increased, and I have added an uninterruptible power supply and a DB server, which I also installed by bringing a used laptop. It has been operating well for three years without major problems. The large cloud costs are too burdensome for startups, so I started this way, and I am still very satisfied.
Reporter: Finally, what will seenthis look like in five years?
CEO Minsuk Min: I want to become a community where the phrase “Everyone who starts a business in Korea goes through seenthis” naturally comes out. Furthermore, it is my dream to expand offline and become a hub for the startup network.
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