[Mini CEOs on the Rise]① Intensified PO Recruitment Battle... Doubling Staff in One Month

Overall in charge of product planning and development... Also called 'Mini CEO'
Toss is hiring 16 people across all affiliates... Already recruited over 30 this year
High demand for POs regardless of scale... Flexible organizational management essential talent

[Asia Economy Reporter Junhyung Lee] #Fintech (Finance + Technology) startup Finda recruited four additional Product Owners (POs) just last month. In July this year, the company had five POs. This means the number of POs nearly doubled in just one month. The backgrounds of the new hires are diverse, including employees from Hana Bank and graduates of the ‘FIFA Master’ program. A Finda representative said, "The demand for POs increases in proportion to the company's growth speed," adding, "We plan to steadily increase the number of POs as needed for business operations."

The competition to recruit Product Owners (POs) in the startup industry is heating up. The talent war, which initially focused on IT developers, has diversified to include POs. This is a prominent phenomenon as the startup ecosystem expands. POs oversee the planning and development of a project, often being called ‘mini CEOs’.

Viva Republica, a fintech startup operating the comprehensive financial platform ‘Toss,’ is currently hiring 16 new POs across all its affiliates, including Toss Securities and Toss Bank. Considering that the existing number of POs across Viva Republica’s affiliates is about 70, this is a significant increase. Earlier this year alone, the company recruited over 30 new POs.

Viva Republica’s POs lead small teams called ‘Silos,’ consisting of fewer than 10 members. POs have the final decision-making authority over their business divisions. They can launch new services without CEO approval. POs form teams and lead communication with developers and designers. They are also responsible for planning and growing services.

The demand for POs is not limited to large startups. Small and medium-sized startups also require POs for flexible organizational management. The startup industry explains that POs are a key role in leading Agile organizations, so demand is high regardless of company size. For example, travel tech startup MyRealTrip divides its various business sectors such as payments, flights, and accommodations into eight ‘domains.’ Each MyRealTrip PO leads a domain and holds the final decision-making authority for their assigned service.

Thanks to the second venture boom, the number of ‘PO aspirants’ is also increasing. According to the industry, more internal employees wish to transition to PO roles. An industry insider said, "POs have a lot of authority and can lead their own teams, which stimulates a spirit of challenge," adding, "When a project succeeds, they can quickly gain recognition for their abilities and have the potential to rise to ‘C (Chief) level.’"