2025 Q1 Report
Into the unknown
The restructuring of Y-Ventures
I'm a late joiner of Y-Ventures. The student-run accelerator of Yonsei was founded in March 2023 by my dear friend Sunwoo Park. Since then, it has accomplished great things: getting half of the teams from our own accelerating program, Boost, funded from amazing early-stage VCs of South Korea, founding two teams from Yonsei via a startup school program Y-Startup, and creating a network of Yonsei founders. I was granted a chance to be a part of the mission: facilitating Yonsei as a hub for startups, since November 2024.
Going forward, we had so much we wanted to do but had no one running the group full-time. Therefore, we needed a systemized structure and plan to make the best use of our time. So I asked our members if I could restructure the group into three parts: Accelerator, Academia, and Fund. Accelerator continues to do what Y-Ventures has been doing so far. Academia is working as a league of students who want to hop onto the study of venture capital. Fund is a more long-term project, but it will be in the form of an individual investment association.
So far, not much coming up from Accelerator. Academia, on the other hand, has been very busy. We recruited seven members as the first generation of YVA (Y-Ventures Academia in short). We had three sessions a week, diving into defining problems, testing out hypotheses, studying business models, and profound startups' journeys. Every member in our group was smart and unique, which led any discussion we had to be very fruitful and insightful. With Fund, three of the Accelerator members gained GP licenses, which now allows us to open a fund and gather LPs. We're creating a list of Yonsei founders and potential investors.
In the second quarter, venture scout project from Academia and VC Career Session from Accelerator are upcoming. Let's see how it goes!
Taking the last CFA exam
On February 13, a day before my birthday, I took the CFA Level III exam. It wasn't as difficult as I have imagined. My guess is that I would safely pass. I started to prepare for CFA Level in January 2023. Back then, I had little to no understanding of how the investment ecosystem looks like. The only reason why I decided to take the exam was because I had enough time to, and a lot of my senpais recommended that I take it for a general understanding of finance.
On May 2023, I took CFA Level I exam. I passed. A year later, on May 2024, I took CFA Level II exam. I passed. However, by the time I received a pass for Level II, I was realizing that my core interest was not in equity investing or portfolio management. I wanted to invest in startups! However, it felt like starting a Master's degree and not finishing it. Unlike many of my friends with amazing talent who can make bold decisions to drop out for their own projects, I'm more of a risk-averse type. So, it felt more safe to continue on with the last exam and finish the curriculum.
The result is coming out on April 22. If I pass, there wouldn't even be a report card of my performance. Let's hope that I don't get one!
Starting work at ZUZU (Kodebox)
I started working at ZUZU, basically a Korean version of Carta + AngelList,. There are three teams: Core team that helps companies out with corporate management, Total Compensation team that deals with stock options and payrolls, and Investment Banking team that creates a platform matching VCs and startups. I joined the IB team to help startups meet investors that fit their profile with more ease.
Ever since Y-Ventures decided to raise funds, working for a venture capital firm was an option out of my boundaries. The conflict of interest was too present. Hence, I was finding a job that would suit me the best. I consider ZUZU and Y-Ventures a good fit. Not only am I able to observe how startups and investors actually interact with each other, but I also expect to meet the different kinds of startups and study them along the way. It's only been a month since I came here, so let's see how I find this job in the second quarter.
Going forward
Studying CFA till the end, doing internships in private equity and consulting, then founding a finance community in Yonsei UIC, just don't add up to starting my career at a startup. However, I feel much happier with my life than before, as I know I'm doing what I've always wanted to do. Hopefully I can keep up the spirit even in the second quarter.
Best,
Bosung
© Bobo. 2025 All rights reserved.
2025 Q1 Report
Into the unknown
The restructuring of Y-Ventures
I'm a late joiner of Y-Ventures. The student-run accelerator of Yonsei was founded in March 2023 by my dear friend Sunwoo Park. Since then, it has accomplished great things: getting half of the teams from our own accelerating program, Boost, funded from amazing early-stage VCs of South Korea, founding two teams from Yonsei via a startup school program Y-Startup, and creating a network of Yonsei founders. I was granted a chance to be a part of the mission: facilitating Yonsei as a hub for startups, since November 2024.
Going forward, we had so much we wanted to do but had no one running the group full-time. Therefore, we needed a systemized structure and plan to make the best use of our time. So I asked our members if I could restructure the group into three parts: Accelerator, Academia, and Fund. Accelerator continues to do what Y-Ventures has been doing so far. Academia is working as a league of students who want to hop onto the study of venture capital. Fund is a more long-term project, but it will be in the form of an individual investment association.
So far, not much coming up from Accelerator. Academia, on the other hand, has been very busy. We recruited seven members as the first generation of YVA (Y-Ventures Academia in short). We had three sessions a week, diving into defining problems, testing out hypotheses, studying business models, and profound startups' journeys. Every member in our group was smart and unique, which led any discussion we had to be very fruitful and insightful. With Fund, three of the Accelerator members gained GP licenses, which now allows us to open a fund and gather LPs. We're creating a list of Yonsei founders and potential investors.
In the second quarter, venture scout project from Academia and VC Career Session from Accelerator are upcoming. Let's see how it goes!
Taking the last CFA exam
On February 13, a day before my birthday, I took the CFA Level III exam. It wasn't as difficult as I have imagined. My guess is that I would safely pass. I started to prepare for CFA Level in January 2023. Back then, I had little to no understanding of how the investment ecosystem looks like. The only reason why I decided to take the exam was because I had enough time to, and a lot of my senpais recommended that I take it for a general understanding of finance.
On May 2023, I took CFA Level I exam. I passed. A year later, on May 2024, I took CFA Level II exam. I passed. However, by the time I received a pass for Level II, I was realizing that my core interest was not in equity investing or portfolio management. I wanted to invest in startups! However, it felt like starting a Master's degree and not finishing it. Unlike many of my friends with amazing talent who can make bold decisions to drop out for their own projects, I'm more of a risk-averse type. So, it felt more safe to continue on with the last exam and finish the curriculum.
The result is coming out on April 22. If I pass, there wouldn't even be a report card of my performance. Let's hope that I don't get one!
Starting work at ZUZU (Kodebox)
I started working at ZUZU, basically a Korean version of Carta + AngelList,. There are three teams: Core team that helps companies out with corporate management, Total Compensation team that deals with stock options and payrolls, and Investment Banking team that creates a platform matching VCs and startups. I joined the IB team to help startups meet investors that fit their profile with more ease.
Ever since Y-Ventures decided to raise funds, working for a venture capital firm was an option out of my boundaries. The conflict of interest was too present. Hence, I was finding a job that would suit me the best. I consider ZUZU and Y-Ventures a good fit. Not only am I able to observe how startups and investors actually interact with each other, but I also expect to meet the different kinds of startups and study them along the way. It's only been a month since I came here, so let's see how I find this job in the second quarter.
Going forward
Studying CFA till the end, doing internships in private equity and consulting, then founding a finance community in Yonsei UIC, just don't add up to starting my career at a startup. However, I feel much happier with my life than before, as I know I'm doing what I've always wanted to do. Hopefully I can keep up the spirit even in the second quarter.
Best,
Bosung
© Bobo. 2025 All rights reserved.
2025 Q1 Report
Into the unknown
The restructuring of Y-Ventures
I'm a late joiner of Y-Ventures. The student-run accelerator of Yonsei was founded in March 2023 by my dear friend Sunwoo Park. Since then, it has accomplished great things: getting half of the teams from our own accelerating program, Boost, funded from amazing early-stage VCs of South Korea, founding two teams from Yonsei via a startup school program Y-Startup, and creating a network of Yonsei founders. I was granted a chance to be a part of the mission: facilitating Yonsei as a hub for startups, since November 2024.
Going forward, we had so much we wanted to do but had no one running the group full-time. Therefore, we needed a systemized structure and plan to make the best use of our time. So I asked our members if I could restructure the group into three parts: Accelerator, Academia, and Fund. Accelerator continues to do what Y-Ventures has been doing so far. Academia is working as a league of students who want to hop onto the study of venture capital. Fund is a more long-term project, but it will be in the form of an individual investment association.
So far, not much coming up from Accelerator. Academia, on the other hand, has been very busy. We recruited seven members as the first generation of YVA (Y-Ventures Academia in short). We had three sessions a week, diving into defining problems, testing out hypotheses, studying business models, and profound startups' journeys. Every member in our group was smart and unique, which led any discussion we had to be very fruitful and insightful. With Fund, three of the Accelerator members gained GP licenses, which now allows us to open a fund and gather LPs. We're creating a list of Yonsei founders and potential investors.
In the second quarter, venture scout project from Academia and VC Career Session from Accelerator are upcoming. Let's see how it goes!
Taking the last CFA exam
On February 13, a day before my birthday, I took the CFA Level III exam. It wasn't as difficult as I have imagined. My guess is that I would safely pass. I started to prepare for CFA Level in January 2023. Back then, I had little to no understanding of how the investment ecosystem looks like. The only reason why I decided to take the exam was because I had enough time to, and a lot of my senpais recommended that I take it for a general understanding of finance.
On May 2023, I took CFA Level I exam. I passed. A year later, on May 2024, I took CFA Level II exam. I passed. However, by the time I received a pass for Level II, I was realizing that my core interest was not in equity investing or portfolio management. I wanted to invest in startups! However, it felt like starting a Master's degree and not finishing it. Unlike many of my friends with amazing talent who can make bold decisions to drop out for their own projects, I'm more of a risk-averse type. So, it felt more safe to continue on with the last exam and finish the curriculum.
The result is coming out on April 22. If I pass, there wouldn't even be a report card of my performance. Let's hope that I don't get one!
Starting work at ZUZU (Kodebox)
I started working at ZUZU, basically a Korean version of Carta + AngelList,. There are three teams: Core team that helps companies out with corporate management, Total Compensation team that deals with stock options and payrolls, and Investment Banking team that creates a platform matching VCs and startups. I joined the IB team to help startups meet investors that fit their profile with more ease.
Ever since Y-Ventures decided to raise funds, working for a venture capital firm was an option out of my boundaries. The conflict of interest was too present. Hence, I was finding a job that would suit me the best. I consider ZUZU and Y-Ventures a good fit. Not only am I able to observe how startups and investors actually interact with each other, but I also expect to meet the different kinds of startups and study them along the way. It's only been a month since I came here, so let's see how I find this job in the second quarter.
Going forward
Studying CFA till the end, doing internships in private equity and consulting, then founding a finance community in Yonsei UIC, just don't add up to starting my career at a startup. However, I feel much happier with my life than before, as I know I'm doing what I've always wanted to do. Hopefully I can keep up the spirit even in the second quarter.
Best,
Bosung
© Bobo. 2025 All rights reserved.
