2024 · KSGC internship, Sep–Dec 2024
K-Startup Grand Challenge
Localising two global startups for the Korean market, from rehabilitation UX for older adults to pitch decks and Demo Day.
Overview
Global startups had strong technology but no Korean story. My job was to translate their value into what Korean users and investors expect.
Outcome. Named Best Intern among about 20 interns. BBalance placed in the Top 20 and advanced to the next stage; Open Energy placed 3rd at Demo Day.
What is KSGC
Korea's flagship government program for global startups.
The K-Startup Grand Challenge is run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to help overseas startups enter, incorporate, and scale in Korea. It is one of the most selective programs of its kind, at about 40 applications per place. Selected teams get free workspace, help setting up a local entity, introductions to Korean companies and investors, and a startup visa. The top 20 teams at Demo Day receive prize money. Interns like me are paired with startups to help them fit the Korean market.
BBalance
Making a French health app work in Korea’s rehabilitation context.
BBalance is a French healthcare startup with a balance-training app. I analysed its existing user flow, researched Korean health services for people in their 60s, and interviewed Konkuk University Hospital’s rehabilitation medicine team to understand the real care context. The work turned market, clinical, and user findings into a Korean market-entry and UX-localisation direction that I aligned with the overseas team.
Localised experience
A 3D motion guide lowered the first-use barrier for older rehabilitation patients.
The original exercise guide asked too much of older users on their first visit. I turned it into a 3D character-led tutorial that demonstrates each move in short steps, then tested it with about 30 rehabilitation patients at Konkuk University Hospital. Their feedback helped refine the onboarding flow and guidance.
Exercise programme
A simpler programme screen that foregrounds progress and the next exercise for first-time users.
3D motion guide
A character demonstrates each move with one short instruction per screen, reducing the need to interpret text-only directions.
Open Energy
Telling a battery-swapping story Korean investors would follow.
Open Energy, from Singapore, builds robotic stations that swap an EV battery in minutes. I designed the swapping user flow and led the pitch deck, product video, and print and web materials, framing the technology around what drivers and Korean partners would care about. The team placed 3rd at Demo Day.
Result
Both startups reached Demo Day, and I was named Best Intern.
BBalance placed in the Top 20 and moved on to the next stage of the program. Open Energy placed 3rd. Among about 20 interns, I received the Best Intern Award.
Reflection
Content moves the market when it carries a strategy and a clear audience.
Localisation was not translation or a visual reskin. It meant connecting the overseas product strategy with Korean users, rehabilitation clinicians, and the conditions of first use.