A new startup life in Korea

A new Startup Life in South Korea, for Tico, a Secure & Human-Centered Communication Tech provider.

This article will be the first episode for a series of the journey and challenges for my startup, Tico, in South Korea starting in Aug 2021.

I’m here and typing because Tico got selected into the final 60 teams of K-Startup Grand Challenge 2021, which is the most famous internationally accelerating program and competition, led by the South Korean Government. The whole program starts in the middle of Aug, and it should end with a Demo Competition at the end of Nov.

And, one of the goals I set for myself before jumping to the flight is to write a blog to record everything I explore, learn and achieve during the whole program.

So, here we are.

Back to June 15, before I applied for the program, I had never imagined that I would physically stand on the land of South Korea and explore the market one day. But I suppose that’s just how a startup life is like; you plan everything in the best you can, then the market (or destiny) will lead you to the place where needs you the most.

The whole procedures and schedules were pretty tight after I got the selection notification, which only gave me less than one month to prepare everything (including getting the Visa and finding the accommodation) to move to South Korea. Without a doubt, the support from family, friends, employees, investors, and even our clients is the non-negligible force to make the journey happen.

Right now, it’s just my first week here, so I’m still in the 14-days quarantine in the hotel and enjoying everything that the South Korean government arranges. As you can see on the cover, it’s a pretty comfortable place to take a rest and make plans, and the receptionists and food are all pretty good as well!

So, in the next few days, I will be in a wonderful environment to prepare everything I need for the next three months. And, I will be live on Heear most of the time when I work before the quarantine ends.

Heear is an audio-based social platform that helps you enjoy music and podcasts with people who have the same taste in audio as you combining a video chat experience. We created the service when we realized how badly people would like to enjoy music together under lockdown, just like the old times before COVID-19 came to us.

Usually, I prefer to make the Lofi beats fill the whole space where I stay, but sometimes I will also enjoy some old but classic Taiwanese music like Jay Chou. So, feel free to **join me** anytime if you are interested in any element I mentioned above.

I already miss my family, friends, and my cat. But I know they will be just fine and wait there for me to bring the exciting stories in South Korea back when the journey ends.

So, hi, South Korea! Here I come!