South Korea Social Value Festa GCSF

Collaboration and Nurturing Strategies for Solving Social Issues between Korean and Japanese University Students

1.Date: 2025.8.26 (Tue) 16:30

2.Location: South Korea Social Value Festa Main Stage (Samsung-dong COEX)

3.Target Participants: Student Entrepreneurs, Education/Investment/Policy/Support Personnel, Startups, etc.

4.Event Schedule 

- Part 1 [Case Studies of Student Entrepreneurs Solving Social Issues] 

• Environment, Small Businesses, and Local Economy Revitalizing Together: Expiring Product Notification 'Deadline Hero' - CEO Won Yo-han

• Decarbonization Possibilities in Southeast Asia: A Farming System for Rice Cultivation Convertible to Carbon Credits - CEO Keiichiro Kataoka of Jizoku

- Part 2 [Cases of Nurturing Student Entrepreneurs and Investment Support between Korea and Japan]

• Supporting Student Entrepreneurs of Gachon University for Solving Social Issues and Global College Startup Camp Case - Professor Choi Jae-hong of Gachon University Startup College

• Support Strategies for Student Entrepreneurs to Solve Social Issues: Are Entrepreneurs Being Educated? - CEO Do Hyun-myung of Impact Square

• Proposal for a Framework to Solve Social Issues through Korea-Japan Cooperation - Professor Nahohiro Shichijo of Hitotsubashi University

• New Impact Capital Supporting Researchers and Students to Solve Social Issues - CEO Masatoshi Kaneko of Kanekyo Co., Ltd.

- Open Talk [Cooperative Strategies for Nurturing Student Entrepreneurs to Solve Social Issues]

5.Speaker Bio/Presentation Introduction

Won Yo-han (CEO of Mahir)

• Bio

  • Graduated as an Outstanding Student from Gachon Startup College Kokoness School

  • Major in Business, Entrepreneurship, and Law at Gachon University

  • Former employee at Geumcheon-gu Facility Management Corporation Sports Business Team

  • Graduated in the Social Venture field of the 2024 Preliminary Startup Package

  • Selected as a Final Team in the 2024 Student Startup Promising Team 300+ Preliminary Track

  • Recipient of the Chairperson's Award from the Korean Youth Entrepreneurship Foundation in November 2024

  • Selected for the 15th Batch of the Youth Startup Academy in April 2025

• Presentation Introduction

  • ‘Deadline Hero’ alerts local residents in real-time about products nearing their expiration date, achieving three values simultaneously: environmental protection (reducing waste), decreasing wastage costs for small businesses, and revitalizing local economies. Local residents purchase products at reasonable prices, local shop owners reduce inventory loss, and cities experience a circular economy by reducing food waste.

Keiichiro Kataoka (CEO of Jizoku)

• Bio

  • Major in Economics at Hitotsubashi University

  • Founded "Co"

  • CEO of Jizoku

• Presentation Introduction

  • As the impacts of climate change, such as extreme heat and worsening disasters, become evident in daily life, decarbonization for economic growth has become an essential task. Various movements are emerging in the EU and the U.S., and Southeast Asia is steadily advancing carbon taxes, emissions trading systems, and carbon credit system developments. This session aims to examine the future of these systems and business opportunities in the Southeast Asian region.

Choi Jae-hong (Professor at Gachon University Startup College)

• Bio

  • Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctorate in Electronic Engineering from Hanyang University's College of Engineering

  • Outside Director at Kakao

  • Chairman of Gangwon Creative Economy Innovation Center

  • Outside Director at KB Financial Group

  • Chairman of the Metaverse Innovation Award

• Presentation Introduction

  • Gachon University's Startup College is nurturing warm and smart entrepreneurs. We emphasize social transformation, enabling our businesses to convert into social value. Universities need to unite so that student entrepreneurs can play their roles in solving social issues, and various field experts should support them together. We also aim to nurture student entrepreneurs in Asia by launching startup camps for solving common social issues between Korea and Japan in collaboration with nearby Hitotsubashi University.

Do Hyun-myung (CEO of Impact Square)

• Bio

  • Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Seoul National University Business School

  • CEO of Impact Square

  • Director at Impact Alliance

  • Former Planner at Naver's Online Game Division

• Presentation Introduction

  • Based on my experience teaching courses related to social enterprise startups at universities like Seoul National University and Hanyang University and providing accelerating programs for over 750 impact startups, I will discuss what true support means for student entrepreneurs. I will particularly explore the role and limitations of education and present the significance of collaboration and openness with external organizations based on case studies.

Nahohiro Shichijo (Professor at Hitotsubashi University)

• Bio

  • PhD from the Graduate School of Engineering at the University of Tokyo

  • Associate Professor at the University of Tokyo/Waseda University

  • Senior Researcher at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's Institute of Science and Technology Policy (NISTEP)

  • Professor at Tokyo Institute of Technology

  • Established the Department of Social Data Science at Hitotsubashi University

  • Executive Committee Member of the OECD MARIAD Working Group

• Presentation Introduction

  • This session will discuss methods, policies, and human resource development for solving social issues using future prediction and evidence (data). Additionally, we will explore ways to solve common social challenges through collaborative approaches between Japan and Korea by utilizing data-driven policy-making and innovative frameworks.

Masatoshi Kaneko (CEO of Kanekyo Co., Ltd.)

• Bio

  • MBA in Finance from Waseda University

  • CFO of Diamond Media

  • CFO of FINOLAB Inc.

• Presentation Introduction

  • Investment in spin-off companies and student startups at Japanese universities is increasing, but achievements remain limited due to immature technology and business commercialization barriers. In this session, I will present a "Timeline Alignment Support Model" from the perspective of impact investment, which allows researchers and students to secure capital and business partnerships while remaining in academia to realize solutions. This model prioritizes joint research and proof of concept over hastily establishing corporations, aiming to create deeper and more sustainable social impacts.