CEO interview: Finding the optimal funding approach for a startup in Korea
26 October 2012 — Jong-ik Kwon (31), the CEO of iPetBrand, is an entrepreneur with a solid academic background. The idea for his current venture, iPetBrand, stemmed from Mr. Kwon’s love for animals and people who care about animals. iPetBrand seeks to integrate the vet network with the value chain, and Mr. Kwon’s vision is to make iPetBrand the most recognized brand in pet care. To fulfill this, he needed funding. We talked to Mr. Kwon about his fundraising experiences.
From pricing theories to concrete analyses, decisions and actions
20 June 2012 — Everyone acknowledges that pricing is a key contributor for business results. However, pricing is much more than setting up a right price level. This article gives an overview on how pricing analytics should be done, what are the key decision points in a pricing model and what must be taken into account to ensure a successful implementation of a pricing model.
Pushing innovation and cost effectiveness through Design-to-Cost
5 April 2012 — In industries such as automotive, IT and telecom the drive for continuous innovation while reducing costs have long been the norm. The same trend has spread to other areas as well, touching both products and services; customers want more, but they want it for less. There is an increased demand for simultaneous innovation and cost reduction
Lessons from entering South Korea – build for the long term, no quick wins
14 February 2012 — South Korea has been one of the strongest nations in the world when it comes to long term GDP growth. Since the Korean war, this country’s rise to a leading technology player has been simply amazing. This article describes our experiences building a business presence in Seoul.
Securing the growth of an SME – understanding value creation
17 April 2011 — A systematic value creation mindset is often absent in small and medium sized enterprises. Value creation builds on alternative returns. Investing in a business should result in better returns than what is available through other investment vehicles. The target of any company should always be, not maximizing revenues or profits alone, but maximizing profits (cash flow) with as little capital invested as possible.