• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.119-130
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• 2019

Although a well-established line of research has addressed the funding decision, the activities of investee startups to receive funding have been overlooked because prior research has been conduced from investor's point of view. In addition, funding does not result from one off decisions but from decision process with many stages. Moreover, the emphasis placed on specific investment criteria varies by different stages during the process. Therefore, understanding the initial funding of startups requires to analyze the strategic behaviors of startups throughout the entire funding decision process from first meeting with investors to funding success. This study investigates the initial funding process of startups, and the analysis is based on a case study of LetinAR one of the successful startups founded by students in South Korea. This study investigates how early start-ups were able to receive funding from startup's point of view, and the analysis is based on a case study of LetinAR, an augmented reality(AR) startup using Pin mirror technology. By adding "legitimacy building" stage that had not been addressed previously, we divided funding process into four stages: 1) legitimacy building, 2) familiarization, 3) screening, and 4) bargaining phase. We did not only analyze major criteria, but also strategic activities of startup at each stage. This study makes a contribution by helping us understand complicated process of funding and the successful strategic behavior of investor backed startups.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.35-49
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• 2021

The purpose of this study is by using the Grounded Theory method to examine the process of starting a business in an online shopping mall for young self-employed people with experience in using Company N's Partner Square (Gwangju), a startup infrastructure institution. In this study, in-depth interview survey data were used, and theoretical sampling method was used in the selection of study participants. After proceeding in the order of open coding, axis coding, and selective coding suggested by Strauss & Corbin, it was analyzed with a paradigm model. The main research results are as follows. First, even when parents were unaware about online shopping malls or had a negative mindset about it, but they had a positive mindset about their children's start-ups, it was found that their children tended to start online shopping mall businesses. However, if parents had a negative mindset about online shopping malls and about their children's start-up, then the child could not start an online shopping mall business. Second, it was found that the ability to use online shopping malls is important as a condition for entrepreneurship and achievement in online shopping malls for young people. In particular, Partner Square (Gwangju) was found to increase the ability to use online shopping malls and positively influence startups in online shopping malls. Third, it was found that young people have increased their self-esteem, discovering opportunities, and reinforcing their creativity, in addition to simply increasing their sales after starting the online shopping mall.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2023

Under the digital economy, companies are facing a new business environment. Previous studies with a traditional perspectives on start-ups explained they are at a disadvantaged compared to large companies in mobilizing resources and building new relationships. However, recent researches on the digital economy and platform ecosystems have suggested that digital platforms can be an efficient means of overcoming the liabilities of smallness and newness for start-up companies. Through platforms start-ups can secure routes to mobilize resources, collect and analyze market information. Especially as various platorms are established within categorized industry or market, unique characteristics and market awareness regarding an individual startup company have been formed. Accordingly there is also an advantage that startup companies have umbrella effect by participating in the platform. From this point of view, this study describes the process by which a start-up company effectively utilizes a platform to overcome the liabilities of newness and smallness through the case the study of 'Genie the Bottle'. The results suggest that platforms play a crucial role for start-ups to secure awareness and legitimacy and grow the market in the beauty industry in which high consumer involvement is dominant.

• Journal of Digital Contents Society
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.425-433
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• 2018

Recently, the rate of openness of public data has increased and related development is also increasing. As recent government policies have also focused on opening public data, the Public Data Index among OECD member nations has been ranked first for two consecutive years. However, despite the government's interest and active support, the post-start-up survival rate was the lowest among the OECD countries. The lowest survival rate was found to be the biggest failure factor for consumers to exhibit unwanted products. In this study, we analyze the desired parts of the consumers that are lacking in the start-up and propose the service of location analysis. In this process, we utilize data related to entrepreneurship among various public data supported by the government.

• Journal of IKEEE
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.284-293
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• 2013

This paper describes a DC-DC boost converter for thermoelectric energy harvesting. The designed converter boosts the VDD through a start-up block from a low-output voltage of a thermoelectric device and the boosted VDD is used to operate the internal control block. When the VDD reaches a predefined value, a detector circuit makes the start-up block turn off to minimize current consumption. The final boosted VOUT is achieved by alternately operating the DC-DC converter for VDD and the main DC-DC converter for VOUT according to the comparator outputs. Simulation results shows that the designed converter generates 2.65V from an input voltage of 200mV and its maximum power efficiency is 63%. The area of the chip designed using a 0.35um CMOS process is $1.3mm{\times}0.7mm$ including pads.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.1-19
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• 2021

The purpose of this research is to improve the investment success rate for startups in the water industry for the development of the entrepreneurial environment of the Korean water industry. In this research, we identified investment determinants through prior research and stratified them, and then surveyed the investor group at the beginning of the start-up using the FGI method, and determined the order of the investment determinants of investors. At the same time, we classified 41 start-ups related to the water industry into two groups: the group that received investment and the group that did not in the early stages of the start-up. Then we investigated the understanding of the investor's investment determinants, ranked them, and compared them by using the AHP technique. Through this, this research proposes five implications. First, it is important for start-ups in the early stages to receive seed investment to revitalize investment for startups in the water industry. For this, startups need to understand investors and prepare to attract investment with the perspective of angel investors rather than the perspective of VC investors. Second, Start-ups in the water sector should consider that the characteristics of the founder are important in order to receive seed investment, and also need to define their business at the industry and market level, and provide relevant rationale to meet the expectations of investors who value industry expertise and experience, and to increase the possibility of seed investment, which is important in the early stages of a startup. Third, institutions, such as K-water(Korea Water Resources Corporation), that support water industry startups need to conduct open innovation business opportunities discovery programs linked to startups so that startups currently participating in the startup support program could have business opportunities from the business infrastructure of platform-forming companies in the water industry. In particular, such institutions should help founders develop their industrial expertise and careers by supporting this type of start-up preparation process through the participation of in-house venture founders. Fourth, when K-water uses the government start-up support fund to discover and foster founders, it should increase initial contact with seed investors, conduct more thorough verification of business plans, and develop programs that use government start-up support funds to prepare a business suitable for seed angel investors. Fifth, K-water should support seed by connecting funds for initial investment among funds operated by itself. It is also necessary to develop a program that links the company receiving the seed investment with VC investment, not angel investment in cooperation with the VC fund operation entity participating as an LP so that companies that have attracted seed investment could attract follow-up VC investment.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.93-101
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• 2016

Purpose - This study aims to advance our knowledge about factors influencing technical startup performance through analysing technical startup process empirically. This study was conducted to focus on industry structure(industry growth rate, competitive intensity, and enter barriers), technology characteristics(technical excellence and wide range of technical application), and the performance in the technology-based start-ups. Specifically, analyzing moderating effect of technology-marketing strategy, this studied how moderating variables affect technical startup performance under industry structure. Research design, data, and methodology - The subject of this study was technology-based start-ups company that received technology transfer from public organization. The development of the paper model is based on the literature of the preceding research analysis in technology commercialization, performance of technology-based start-ups, and marketing strategy. This study has a construct that was defined in the previous studies, such that technology marketing strategy was defined into the two ways of being broad or narrow in strategic application. From November 3. 2015 to December 22, 220 questionnaires were distributed with targeting to start-up companies in technology-based. 188 responses were collected for empirical analysis except the missing and wrong value responses. This data were used for structural equation modeling and regression analysis. Results - The results of this study are as follows. First, as industry structure variables influencing on performance(technical, financial) of technology-based start-ups, industry growth rate, competitive intensity and enter barriers of variables were verified; high growth rate has more positive effect on performance than low growth rate, competitive low intensity has more positive effect on performance than competitive high intensity, low enter barriers have more positive effect on performance than high enter barriers. Second, as technology characteristics variables influences on the performance(technical, financial) of technology-based start-ups, technical excellence and wide range of technical application of variables were verified ; technical high-excellence has more positive effect on performance than technology low-excellence, wide range of technical application has more positive effect on performance than narrow range of technical application. We also find that technology marketing strategy(broad/narrow) in moderating factors on performance (technical, financial) is as follows. Analyzing the moderating effect depending on technology marketing strategy(broad/narrow), application of technology, and the types of technology strategy(broad/narrow) were revealed that broad marketing strategy had a more significant effect on performance of technology-based start-ups. With AMOS, the relevancy of the study model revealed higher for broad technology-marketing strategy than narrow technology marketing strategy, and the explanatory power revealed to be 6.4% higher in broad marketing strategy than narrow marketing strategy. Conclusions - This study confirmed that industry structure and technology characteristics are important factors influencing the performance of technology-based start-ups. Technology-marketing strategy affects the performance of technology-based start-ups between industry structure and technology characteristics. According to additional analysis, moderating variables and technology-marketing strategy are important factors influencing the performance of technology-based start-ups under industry structure and technology characteristics. Broad type of technology-marketing strategy has more attractive industry structure and excellent technology characteristics than narrow types of technology-marketing.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.1-12
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• 2014

It is essential factor for business operation to raise funds effectively. However, in Korea, many start-ups and small businesses have difficulties in fund-raising. In recent years, crowdfunding, a new method for funding a project of individuals or organizations by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people, has been growing up simultaneously with diffusion of social media. Crowdfunding is on early stage in Korea, and the majority of projects are focused on cultural or art categories. There is high proportion of projects that have social value in start-up sector. Crowdfunding in Korea has great potential because success rate of it is much higher than its of advanced countries, although market size is much smaller than them. The purpose of this paper is to propose success strategies of crowdfunding for start-up through case study. 5 crowdfunding platforms of Korea and Kickstarter, the platform of United States were investigated. Then we checked the figures related to the operation of the whole Korean projects on start-up. Finally, we made comparison between the cases of success and failure by analyzing 8 project characteristics. The study shows that it were the differences in trustworthiness and activeness of project creator, value of reward and efforts for interactivity that have great effects on success of the project. Whereas there was no significant influence of societal contribution and sponsor engagement. The thesis provides success strategies of crowdfunding for start-up as follows. Firstly, creator of the project should make support base by enthusiastic activites before launching funding project. Secondly, there should be contents that can easily show the process of business development in the project information. Thirdly, there must be appropriate design of rewards for each amounts of support money. Finally, efforts for interactivity, such as frequent updates, response for comments and SNS posting, should be followed after the launch of the project.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 2002.07a
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• pp.44-46
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• 2002

Service restoration following a complete or partial collapse starts with reenergize a transmission line from black-start generators. Voltage problems can arise by Ferranti effect as unloaded transmission line is reenergized. This paper presents analytical results on the primary restorative transmission system focused on the voltage problem during the early restoration process. Methodologies to handle load pick-up compensating Ferranti effect. and terminal voltage and reactive capability limitation of black-start generators about self-excitation are presented. An algorithm for static analysis about these methodologies is developed, and EMTDC simulation for verifying the efficiency of the algorithm is performed.

• Asian Journal of Innovation and Policy
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.217-241
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• 2015

This paper, based on two engineering industry SME case studies, traces the origin and process of technological innovations enabling the development and introduction of new products leading to market expansion and enterprise growth. The study throws light on how entrepreneurs played a decisive role in recognizing market opportunities, building up crucial in-house technological capability, supplementing it with appropriate external assistance, to carry out technological innovations. A constant interaction with its customers is in-built into the system. As a result, the SMEs could achieve successful product innovations leading to their gradual growth, over time. Finally, based on the observations and inferences derived out of the two cases, a theoretical construct of the growth of innovation in SMEs is postulated. This is done linking the three stages of their development: (i) start-up and stabilizing, (ii) building up technological capability and implementing innovations; and (iii) opening up of new markets resulting in firm growth.