Gwangyang Steelworks Successfully Completes the 1st Change-Up Camp at Gwangyang Venture Valley

About 20 Local University Students Interested in Startups Participate
Entrepreneur Aptitude Test and IR Mentoring Presentation Held

POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks (Director Lee Dong-ryeol) successfully concluded the 1st ‘CHANGE UP CAMP’ (hereafter Change Up Camp), a program conducted for about 20 university students from Jeonnam and Gwangju regions, at the Seoul National University Southern Academic Forest in Gwangyang City.

Held over three days from the 3rd to the 5th, the Change Up Camp was organized as part of the Gwangyang Venture Valley development project, which POSCO and Gwangyang City are carrying out to revitalize startups, discover and attract startups in the Gwangyang area. The camp was designed to provide basic education to university students from Jeonnam and Gwangju regions interested in entrepreneurship, helping them build fundamental skills necessary for starting a business.

POSCO Gwangyang Steelworks conducted a Change-Up Camp for university students from Jeonnam and Gwangju areas.
［Photo by Gwangyang Steelworks］

On the first day of the camp, participating students took individual aptitude tests to identify entrepreneurial qualities, tendencies, and strengths, and teams were formed based on the competency test results.

Following this, Kim Jun-hyuk, a founding member and director of ㈜PamSkin, a cosmetics startup established by university students, gave a lecture sharing his entrepreneurial story and know-how directly with the participants.

On the second day, venture experts provided mentoring sessions aimed at strengthening entrepreneurial capabilities, including systematic business plan development based on market analysis and building startup ideas. On the final day, participants conducted IR presentations based on the consulting they received.

At the IR presentation, the team of students Park Seok-hyun, Ryu Seok-chang, and Ryu Ji-won (a platform service for domestic helpers utilizing workers) was selected as the overall best team based on idea competitiveness, business feasibility, execution plan, and team capability, receiving the Innovation Award. The team of students Lim Je-hoon, Park Jong-won, and Park Se-jong (smart modular LED display), evaluated as having high business potential and feasibility, received the Making Award as an excellent team.

These two teams will be awarded products worth a total of 2 million KRW, receive additional points when participating in the POSCO Venture Valley, and be given opportunities for consulting related to business items and investment attraction when starting a business.

Kim Na-yeon (Chonnam National University), a participant in the camp, said, “My goal is to start a business after graduation, and what I learned at the Change Up Camp will be very helpful,” adding, “I am grateful to POSCO for providing such a great opportunity.”

Ko Gwan-bong, Director of Gwangyang Creative Economy Center and Head of POSCO Win-Win Growth Group, emphasized, “Systematic support for aspiring entrepreneurs is crucial to fostering the venture ecosystem,” and added, “We will continue to provide ongoing support to boost entrepreneurial momentum in the Jeonnam region.”

Meanwhile, POSCO is accelerating the creation of a venture-friendly ecosystem in the Jeonnam region by operating the ‘POSCO Venture Support Group,’ which provides technical support to small and medium-sized enterprises in Jeonnam, and hosting the ‘Jeonnam Startup Forum’ to explore ways to revitalize venture investment.