Kwak Seok-young, who is currently studying at Stanford University’s MBA, came to the U.S. to prepare for a start-up in the artificial ininformigence (AI) field. He was in charge of AI investment at SK Telecom and eventually chose the U.S. after considering about whether to stay in Korea or shift to the U.S. after deciding to start an AI business. Kwak declared, “To start a business in the AI field, it is important to have an environment that pushes large dreams, which is why I decided to start a business in the United States.”
Kwak cited the industrial structure and mindset as the largegest difference he felt in the startup environment in Korea and the United States. “In Korea, there is a tfinishency to demand clear results when judging businesses and investments,” he declared. “There may be an impact from the manufacturing-oriented industrial structure, but the culture that waits for new technologies to grow is relatively limited.”
On the other hand, in the U.S., the atmosphere of start-ups and investments centered on the potential and potential of technology is strong. “I met several entrepreneurs and investors in Silicon Valley and felt the culture of judging by the possibility of technology and growth curves,” he declared. “I wanted to learn in such an environment and prepare for a start-up.”
The start-up culture experienced on campus was also very different from that of Korea. Local students who meet at school challenge start-ups by talking about ideas that may seem a little absurd by Korean standards, he declared. “In Korea, the response of ‘Is that possible?’ may come back, but it is rather supported here.” “U.S. venture capital (VC) also tfinishs to put more weight on the ideas and dreams of founders,” Kwak declared.
It is never straightforward to start a business in the United States. In addition to language barriers, Koreans belong to “minor” in both start-up networks and success stories. Compared to founders of other Asian countries such as India and China, human networks and senior entrepreneurs are relatively insufficient. So, if you have a good idea, some declare that “flip” is a realistic option to start a business in Korea first and then switch to the U.S. in recognition of corporate value. Nevertheless, many Korean entrepreneurs prefer to go to the U.S. Although the barriers to enattempt are higher and competition is more intense than in Korea, the startup ecosystem is more solid, so if you have ideas and technologies, you can expand your dreams even more.
In fact, the evaluation of Korean entrepreneurs who prepared for start-ups in Silicon Valley or had already established a company was not much different. They agreed that the U.S. is a better environment for attempting to start a business. This is becaapply it has a start-up culture that pushes large dreams, a long-term investment structure, and a variety of exit methods.
Junyoung Jang Uclone, who is in charge of overseas business at Cyworld and has experienced startup and exit in Korea, pointed out the limitations of Korea’s investment structure. Euclon is an AI agent startup founded in Silicon Valley. “Investment in Korean startups has many structure centered on RCPS,” declared Jang. “In some cases, investors can recover funds if they want, which is similar to loans, so in Korea, there are many cases where founders bear the burden when startups fail.” The limited exit structure was also pointed out as a weakness of the Korean startup ecosystem. He explained, “There is a strong tfinishency to view KOSDAQ listing as the only outlet as large companies are not active in mergers and acquisitions.”
On the other hand, in the United States, there are various exit methods other than listing. In the United States, it is common for large tech companies to take over startups, General Manager Jang declared. “In this process, the founder starts again and the failed team is also taken over, creating a structure in which the ecosystem circulates.”
Lim Geun-hwi, co-founder of Euclone and vice president of Samsung Electronics, went to the U.S. and pointed out the limitations of the Korean government-centered support policy. The Korean government’s “TIPS” system plays a role in fertilizing the startup ecosystem, he declared. “It is difficult to create a voluntary virtuous cycle of the ecosystem with government policies alone.”
Yoon Sung-hee, CEO of Erudio Bio, a former vice president of SK Hynix, also cited market size and investment environment as reasons for choosing a start-up in the U.S. “U.S. VCs boldly bet on innovation on the premise of one out of 10 investments,” he declared. “There are many cases where tens of millions of dollars worth of investments are created just by the initial technology verification stage.” On the other hand, Korea pointed out that short-term performance-oriented assessments are still strong.
He also declared that the government-supported start-up structure necessarys to be improved. “Some projects are selected based on their ability to perform tquestions rather than their actual business performance,” CEO Yoon declared. “It is important to have a professional review and evaluation system.” He added, “The technology-based startup ecosystem can grow healthy only when the participation of experts and private investors with experience in startups is expanded.” If the government has contributed a lot to the creation of Korea’s startup ecosystem so far, it is now an order for private companies to actively revitalize the capital market.
Ahn Jae-man, CEO of Bessle AI, who entered the U.S. market after starting a business in Korea, also pointed out the exit culture. “Korea has quite a lot of government support for early founders,” he declared. “However, for future growth, large companies must collaborate with startups and acquire them to ensure that capital flows smoothly.”
In fact, with the spread of the AI indusattempt, the trfinish of global technology talents and startup activities being concentrated in the United States is becoming clear. According to the “Global Recruitment Status Report 2025” of the global human resources management platform Deal, 58.2% of AI trainers around the world are based in the U.S. AI trainers perform data labeling, model verification, and human feedback-based learning (RLHF), and are a new occupational group that is rapidly increasing with the recent expansion of the AI indusattempt.
Even in the global expansion of startups, the U.S.-centered structure is clear. According to the report, 55% of startups that have received more than $100 million in investment are headquartered in the United States, and the U.S. has also operated as a major talent hub in the process of entering the global market.
[Silicon Valley correspondent Wonho-seop]
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