CEO Junghun Kim reflected on the past decade of empowering founders who act for social change: “For 10 years, we’ve educated founders who take action. For the next 10, we will run alongside them.”
▲ On the 22nd, the 'RE:IMPACT 2025' conference was held at the Community House Masil in Jung-gu, Seoul. On this day, UD Impact celebrated its 10th anniversary, presenting its achievements and its strategy for the next 10 years. [Photo: UD Impact]
On the 22nd, Social enterprise Underdogs Inc. hosted the ‘RE:IMPACT 2025’ conference at Community House Masil in Seoul Jung-gu, to celebrate its 10th anniversary and announce its strategic direction for the decade ahead. The event gathered over 150 entrepreneurs, social innovators, and ecosystem leaders to explore new growth models in local innovation, AI-driven entrepreneurship, and global expansion. As part of its milestone, the company officially rebranded to UD Impact Inc., signaling its evolution from a startup support organization to a full-fledged, impact-centered platform shaping the future of execution in entrepreneurship.
In his keynote, CEO Junghun Kim introduced the term “Act-preneur” — a concept UD Impact has coined to describe those who don’t just ideate, but drive tangible change through execution: "Driven by the belief that entrepreneurs can reshape the world, we’ve spent the past 10 years meeting over 20,000 founders — all while pursuing a vision of an 'uprising of the underestimated.' We’re not just talking about entrepreneurs anymore. Act-preneurs are the ones reshaping society through action. Our journey toward IPO is also an act of execution — one that could mark the first IPO of a certified social enterprise in Korea.”
Under the theme of “Redefining Local,” the first session explored how AI is transforming regional entrepreneurship. The first presenter, professor Hyunsang Shin from Hanyang University’s Business Department, emphasized that while AI is a powerful tool, the true drivers of change remain human: “It’s the Act-preneurs — the people who implement AI — who will solve social challenges. They are essential in creating both financial and social value.”
Shin highlighted how AI reduces the time needed for planning and analysis, allowing more room for creativity and execution — key ingredients in generating long-term impact: “Thanks to AI, we can now allocate more resources to areas that require human empathy and creativity.” He added, “If we can dedicate more time and capability to the essential aspects of execution, the potential for creating social value will grow significantly.”
Wooyoung Seung, Head of UD Impact’s Startup Division 2, introduced innovations in locally-driven entrepreneurship education. “Starting a business usually takes six months, but with AI agents, we’ve reduced it to two,” he explained. “AI also allows us to provide personalized, adaptive education, transforming the entrepreneurship education system into a more action-oriented model.” He added that outcome measurement — once difficult — is now achievable through predictive and traceable AI tools. “As the speed of planning dramatically increase, so does the success potential for ventures that utilize regional resources.”
▲ Professor Shin Hyun-sang from Hanyang University's Business School is presenting on the topic 'How can we solve local and social issues with AI technology' at the 'RE:IMPACT 2025' conference. [Photo by UD IMPACT]
The second session, under the theme “Cross-Border Impact,” introduced UD Impact’s global initiatives. Taehyung Lee, Head of Global Business at UD Impact, explained the company’s strategy in choosing its initial overseas markets: “Rather than chasing after high-profile markets, we focused on regions where we can do our best work.” Japan and India were selected as the first entry points.
“Instead of hesitating over whether our business model would work abroad, we chose to lead with our strengths and adapt based on feedback,” said Lee. “Over the course of three months, we contacted 1,200 local companies, held more than 60 virtual meetings, and signed MOUs with 20 of them. Seven of those deals led to follow-up projects.” He emphasized that this process — entirely digital — allowed the team to validate and implement their global business model without even setting foot overseas.
They initially launched online education programs in India, but quickly pivoted due to local infrastructure. With only 10% of the population having access to laptops and a spotty internet environment, they transitioned to smartphone-based education. “Had we relied solely on research and not taken action, we might have missed the right timing for market entry.”
The third session, titled “New Growth Centered on Impact,” focused on the evolving role of social enterprises and UD Impact’s upcoming IPO. Seo Jong-sik, Head of Enterprise Growth Division at the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, noted, “When the Social Enterprise Promotion Act was first established, no one imagined we’d one day see IPOs or innovation-driven social enterprises emerge. We now need to rethink the institutional gaps between certifications, cooperatives, and social ventures.”
The next speaker Sungwha Moon, Vice President of UD Impact, spoke about the IPO process, currently slated for April of next year. “For a social enterprise, pursuing an IPO is a way to validate the long-term sustainability of our model in the capital market.”
“In the early days, we believed it was more impactful to grow one-hundred 100-million-won businesses than one single 10-billion-won company. IPO wasn’t on our radar — but now that our annual revenue has reached 10 billion won, we realized that scaling our impact requires bolder action, and IPO became part of that journey.”
VP Moon emphasized that preparing for an IPO is not simply about ticking off procedural boxes, but about reshaping the company’s internal strategy, growth model, and governance. “We’re currently building partnerships with underwriters, completing our pre-IPO fundraising, acquiring new subsidiaries, and upgrading our internal financial systems,” she said. “Through this process, we’re receiving external validation of our business performance.”
In his closing remarks, CEO Kim Junghun reaffirmed UD Impact’s future direction: “The execution of Act-preneuers is now expanding beyond Korea to all of Asia,” he said. “For 10 years, we’ve educated founders who take action. For the next 10, we will run alongside them.”
Source: TheButter (https://www.thebutter.org/news/articleView.html?idxno=1347)
CEO Junghun Kim reflected on the past decade of empowering founders who act for social change: “For 10 years, we’ve educated founders who take action. For the next 10, we will run alongside them.”
▲ On the 22nd, the 'RE:IMPACT 2025' conference was held at the Community House Masil in Jung-gu, Seoul. On this day, UD Impact celebrated its 10th anniversary, presenting its achievements and its strategy for the next 10 years. [Photo: UD Impact]
On the 22nd, Social enterprise Underdogs Inc. hosted the ‘RE:IMPACT 2025’ conference at Community House Masil in Seoul Jung-gu, to celebrate its 10th anniversary and announce its strategic direction for the decade ahead. The event gathered over 150 entrepreneurs, social innovators, and ecosystem leaders to explore new growth models in local innovation, AI-driven entrepreneurship, and global expansion. As part of its milestone, the company officially rebranded to UD Impact Inc., signaling its evolution from a startup support organization to a full-fledged, impact-centered platform shaping the future of execution in entrepreneurship.
In his keynote, CEO Junghun Kim introduced the term “Act-preneur” — a concept UD Impact has coined to describe those who don’t just ideate, but drive tangible change through execution: "Driven by the belief that entrepreneurs can reshape the world, we’ve spent the past 10 years meeting over 20,000 founders — all while pursuing a vision of an 'uprising of the underestimated.' We’re not just talking about entrepreneurs anymore. Act-preneurs are the ones reshaping society through action. Our journey toward IPO is also an act of execution — one that could mark the first IPO of a certified social enterprise in Korea.”
Under the theme of “Redefining Local,” the first session explored how AI is transforming regional entrepreneurship. The first presenter, professor Hyunsang Shin from Hanyang University’s Business Department, emphasized that while AI is a powerful tool, the true drivers of change remain human: “It’s the Act-preneurs — the people who implement AI — who will solve social challenges. They are essential in creating both financial and social value.”
Shin highlighted how AI reduces the time needed for planning and analysis, allowing more room for creativity and execution — key ingredients in generating long-term impact: “Thanks to AI, we can now allocate more resources to areas that require human empathy and creativity.” He added, “If we can dedicate more time and capability to the essential aspects of execution, the potential for creating social value will grow significantly.”
Wooyoung Seung, Head of UD Impact’s Startup Division 2, introduced innovations in locally-driven entrepreneurship education. “Starting a business usually takes six months, but with AI agents, we’ve reduced it to two,” he explained. “AI also allows us to provide personalized, adaptive education, transforming the entrepreneurship education system into a more action-oriented model.” He added that outcome measurement — once difficult — is now achievable through predictive and traceable AI tools. “As the speed of planning dramatically increase, so does the success potential for ventures that utilize regional resources.”
▲ Professor Shin Hyun-sang from Hanyang University's Business School is presenting on the topic 'How can we solve local and social issues with AI technology' at the 'RE:IMPACT 2025' conference. [Photo by UD IMPACT]
The second session, under the theme “Cross-Border Impact,” introduced UD Impact’s global initiatives. Taehyung Lee, Head of Global Business at UD Impact, explained the company’s strategy in choosing its initial overseas markets: “Rather than chasing after high-profile markets, we focused on regions where we can do our best work.” Japan and India were selected as the first entry points.
“Instead of hesitating over whether our business model would work abroad, we chose to lead with our strengths and adapt based on feedback,” said Lee. “Over the course of three months, we contacted 1,200 local companies, held more than 60 virtual meetings, and signed MOUs with 20 of them. Seven of those deals led to follow-up projects.” He emphasized that this process — entirely digital — allowed the team to validate and implement their global business model without even setting foot overseas.
They initially launched online education programs in India, but quickly pivoted due to local infrastructure. With only 10% of the population having access to laptops and a spotty internet environment, they transitioned to smartphone-based education. “Had we relied solely on research and not taken action, we might have missed the right timing for market entry.”
The third session, titled “New Growth Centered on Impact,” focused on the evolving role of social enterprises and UD Impact’s upcoming IPO. Seo Jong-sik, Head of Enterprise Growth Division at the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency, noted, “When the Social Enterprise Promotion Act was first established, no one imagined we’d one day see IPOs or innovation-driven social enterprises emerge. We now need to rethink the institutional gaps between certifications, cooperatives, and social ventures.”
The next speaker Sungwha Moon, Vice President of UD Impact, spoke about the IPO process, currently slated for April of next year. “For a social enterprise, pursuing an IPO is a way to validate the long-term sustainability of our model in the capital market.” “In the early days, we believed it was more impactful to grow one-hundred 100-million-won businesses than one single 10-billion-won company. IPO wasn’t on our radar — but now that our annual revenue has reached 10 billion won, we realized that scaling our impact requires bolder action, and IPO became part of that journey.” VP Moon emphasized that preparing for an IPO is not simply about ticking off procedural boxes, but about reshaping the company’s internal strategy, growth model, and governance. “We’re currently building partnerships with underwriters, completing our pre-IPO fundraising, acquiring new subsidiaries, and upgrading our internal financial systems,” she said. “Through this process, we’re receiving external validation of our business performance.”
In his closing remarks, CEO Kim Junghun reaffirmed UD Impact’s future direction: “The execution of Act-preneuers is now expanding beyond Korea to all of Asia,” he said. “For 10 years, we’ve educated founders who take action. For the next 10, we will run alongside them.”
Source: TheButter (https://www.thebutter.org/news/articleView.html?idxno=1347)