▲ underdogs & F-Lab Logo
Maeil Ilbo = Reporter Oh Shinae | Underdogs, a leading impact-driven entrepreneurship education company, announced on the 7th about their acquisition of F-Lab & Company, a hands-on developer training and mentoring platform. This move marks a major step in their strategy to foster next-generation technology talent and expand its social impact across the AI and software (SW) sectors.
F-Lab is known for its 1:1 mentoring-based training model that helps junior developers become job-ready, mid-level engineers. Top 1% developer mentors from leading tech firms such as Naver, Kakao, LINE, and Coupang directly design the curriculum and provide intensive feedback. Many graduates have successfully landed roles at major IT companies and univorn startups, proving the program’s real-world impact.
With this acquisition, Underdogs plans to integrate its entrepreneurship education expertise with F-Lab’s developer upskilling model to deliver AI and software talent development solutions tailored to industry needs. A special focus will be placed on creating accessible career pathways in emerging tech fields for youth and non-majors, particularly in the era of generative AI.
“F-Lab has proven that it's not just about educating technology — it's about bridging talent with the real-world working environment,” said Junghun Kim, CEO of Underdogs. “Through this acquisition, we aim to connect our social impact-oriented education model with future industries and build a pipeline that leads to tangible job creation.”
The acquisition is also a cornerstone of Underdogs’ broader global expansion strategy. The company has already extended its entrepreneurship curriculum to key Asian regions like Japan and India, and now plans to leverage F-Lab’s practical, mentor-driven approach to develop local tech talent and build regional innovation networks. This move supports Underdogs’ long-term vision of cultivating regionally rooted, AI-ready talent ecosystems across Asia, while scaling social impact in tandem.
In parallel with this acquisition, Underdogs recently closed a ₩9 billion (approx. 6.5M USD) pre-IPO round, as part of its preparation for a planned KOSDAQ listing in 2026. The company is now accelerating its evolution into a leading Asia-based ESG and impact solutions provider
Source : Maeil Ilbo (https://www.m-i.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1225460)
▲ underdogs & F-Lab Logo
Maeil Ilbo = Reporter Oh Shinae | Underdogs, a leading impact-driven entrepreneurship education company, announced on the 7th about their acquisition of F-Lab & Company, a hands-on developer training and mentoring platform. This move marks a major step in their strategy to foster next-generation technology talent and expand its social impact across the AI and software (SW) sectors.
F-Lab is known for its 1:1 mentoring-based training model that helps junior developers become job-ready, mid-level engineers. Top 1% developer mentors from leading tech firms such as Naver, Kakao, LINE, and Coupang directly design the curriculum and provide intensive feedback. Many graduates have successfully landed roles at major IT companies and univorn startups, proving the program’s real-world impact.
With this acquisition, Underdogs plans to integrate its entrepreneurship education expertise with F-Lab’s developer upskilling model to deliver AI and software talent development solutions tailored to industry needs. A special focus will be placed on creating accessible career pathways in emerging tech fields for youth and non-majors, particularly in the era of generative AI.
“F-Lab has proven that it's not just about educating technology — it's about bridging talent with the real-world working environment,” said Junghun Kim, CEO of Underdogs. “Through this acquisition, we aim to connect our social impact-oriented education model with future industries and build a pipeline that leads to tangible job creation.”
The acquisition is also a cornerstone of Underdogs’ broader global expansion strategy. The company has already extended its entrepreneurship curriculum to key Asian regions like Japan and India, and now plans to leverage F-Lab’s practical, mentor-driven approach to develop local tech talent and build regional innovation networks. This move supports Underdogs’ long-term vision of cultivating regionally rooted, AI-ready talent ecosystems across Asia, while scaling social impact in tandem.
In parallel with this acquisition, Underdogs recently closed a ₩9 billion (approx. 6.5M USD) pre-IPO round, as part of its preparation for a planned KOSDAQ listing in 2026. The company is now accelerating its evolution into a leading Asia-based ESG and impact solutions provider
Source : Maeil Ilbo (https://www.m-i.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=1225460)