Meet the Victorious Winners of the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300” Who Helped Propel the University to Fourth Place in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

The largest student startup competition in Korea crowned 21 Catholic University of Korea students with outstanding results.   In the “2022 Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300” competition co-hosted by the Ministries of Education and Science and ICT, 8 teams* consisting of 21 students from the CUK's startup clubs were selected as teams with excellent startup competencies and placed fourth (based on the number of people) among the universities in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.    

* Eight winning teams: Rosetters, Ulsaango, Yerohae, Jobturi, Timeout, CycLeaf, Eco Wave, and Team LiFoli. 

Among them, the CycLeaf team was recognized for their exceptional abilities, advancing to the finals of the “K-Startup Grand Challenge 2022.” The “K-Startup Grand Challenge” is Korea's largest pan-ministerial startup competition, organized by 11 government agencies, including the Ministries of Education, Science and ICT, and SMEs and Startups, etc.

The CycLeaf team raises the profile of the Catholic University of Korea through outstanding performances in the nationwide competition. We met with the team leader, Han Ginam (Biomedical-Chemical Engineering major of Bio Engineering Department in graduate school, admitted in 2020), to learn about the CycLeaf team's yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Q. Please tell us about the CycLeaf team and its concept. 

  CycLeaf is a startup team founded in February of this year by two graduate students (Han Ginam in the doctoral program and Ryu Younghyeon in the master's program) and one undergraduate student (Gu Yoonseo) specializing in Biomedical-Chemical Engineering from the Bio Engineering Department.

  CycLeaf, our main concept, is an eco-friendly wooden material made from reusing dead leaves and barley stalks. We created an eco-friendly wooden material free of harmful ingredients out of discarded byproducts from agriculture (dead leaves), forestry (barley stalks), and the paper industry. Its distinguishing feature is that, while it has the same price and function as wooden panels (MDF, PB) that use harmful adhesives, it is completely free of any harmful substances. 

Q. What inspired you to join the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300”?

  We first noticed the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300” competition notice on the school bulletin board and homepage in April.  Our team had been a part of the “social entrepreneur cultivation project” organized by the Ministry of Employment and Labor since March and was in the process of commercializing our idea at the time.  We discovered that by joining the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300,” we would be able to receive school support, such as advancing business models and startup training, which would be highly beneficial in materializing and commercializing our idea. 

* Photo description: The CycLeaf team, which was selected as a finalist for the Springboard Track of the national students' startup competition “2022 Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300,” received a ministerial certificate from the Ministry of Education.

Q. How did the university assist you in preparing for the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300” competition?

Our team, in fact, had not been registered as the school startup club. Despite this, we were able to obtain a variety of resources as a result of our participation in the school's preparation group for the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300.” We were given office space, networking opportunities, and other benefits. I found it particularly helpful to have guidance and advice from professors and staff involved in school startups.

Q. I'd like to ask you to comment on your team's advancement to the “K-Startup Grand Challenge” in recognition of your team's outstanding performance in the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300.”

  The “K-Startup Grand Challenge” is a startup competition organized in collaboration with various government agencies. It was a fantastic opportunity for us to go through the review process of such a large contest in order to evaluate our business item and business model.  We also have some exciting news to share with you. We won the grand prize (Ministerial Award of Employment and Labor) in the general section of the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency's “Social Venture Contest” last October.

  Going through competitions like the “Student Entrepreneurship Promising Team 300,” “K-Startup Grand Challenge,” and “Social Venture Contest” was a very rewarding experience because it allowed us to materialize and sharpen our ideas. All of these events, I believe, are part of our growth toward a more complete business, and we will do our best to bear great fruits by concentrating our efforts on the business. 

Q. What was the impetus behind your numerous accomplishments?

  Our entire team, including myself, specialized in Biomedical-Chemical Engineering. It is a wonderful and satisfying experience to incorporate our knowledge of specialization into our items. Most importantly, such a great achievement would not have been possible without our team members' enthusiasm for and dedication to startup activities. 

Furthermore, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Professors Jung Hyundo and Choi Sungwook from Biomedical-Chemical Engineering, as well as Professor Sung Jaeyeol, director of the Center for Startup Business Incubation, for their assistance and support, which has been the driving force behind our perseverance in achieving our goal.

* Photo description: CycLeaf team focusing on startup research

Q. Please share with us your future plans and resolutions.

The CycLeaf team plans to incorporate this year and launch our product in the market the following year. We intend to distribute our products throughout campus, so please show your interest and support.  We will make every effort to ensure that our products contribute to the betterment of the world. Thank you

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