Hello again! This is Jinsoo Choi from Asia Tomorrow. I hope you are having a good day.

Last week was South Korea’s Lunar New Year holiday. I had time to visit my family and take a brief moment of pause from daily life. Even then, the world was changing rapidly. OpenAI’s CEO announced he is seeking a $7 trillion investment. The 58th Super Bowl recorded 123.7 million viewers. Global IT companies are still conducting significant layoffs.

These changes made me feel more responsible for providing practical, resourceful content. I wrote this week’s letter with that responsibility in mind. Let’s start with the previews.

• Story of a Korean Accelerator’s Expansion to Singapore

• Are VCs of Korea Evaluating Startups Properly?

• Most Common Mistakes when Starting a Business

• Diversifying Service Portfolio for Freelancing Entrepreneurs

• Pakistan’s Biggest Edu NGO was Founded by a Textile Company CEO

• How a Japan Branch of 7-Eleven Acquired an Entire Brand

Resources for Startups

👉 From Local to Global: South Korea Accelerator’s Expansion to Singapore from Scratch

⏲️ _{7 Mins Reading}

Since 2012, D·camp has incubated South Korea’s most-known startups, including Viva Republica(Toss) and Woowa Bros(Baemin). Despite these achievements, the accelerator devoted itself to going global. D·camp successfully opened a local center in Singapore last year by establishing a local business network and hosting events for two years. The facility looks forward to establishing a firm entrepreneur network in Southeast Asia.

👉 The FADU Incident: What are Venture Capital’s Responsibility for Clear Investment Directions?

⏲️ _{8 Mins Reading} 

Fadu was a successful fabless company in South Korea, thanks to its success in producing semiconductor controller parts. Despite acquiring investments from corporates like Meta and Amazon, the tech company recorded a devastating loss of more than 11 million USD. Controversies arose about whether VCs accurately evaluated the company’s value and status. How should VCs value the companies? Is it acceptable to overvalue a startup to maximize the profit? Find out more in the article.

Stories for Starters

👉 Overcoming the Most Common Misconceptions for Your Entrepreneurial Journey

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Tens of thousands of people audaciously begin their businesses, but only a few survive. Therefore, understanding common misconceptions about business/product ideas is critical. What are the differences between ‘item’ and ‘idea’? What is the ‘real’ problem customers are facing? Does my business fit the current trend? Check out your business plan with insights from examples including Netflix, Viva Republica(Toss), and ChatGPT.

👉 From Developer App to AI-Based SaaS: Tony Dinh’s $45,000/month Portfolio

⏲️ _{3 Mins Reading} 

Tony Dinh is an independent developer/entrepreneur in Vietnam. The multi-businessman offers various services, from developer-assisting utility bundles to subscribable ChatGPT modification. He also regularly shares his entrepreneurial journey via newsletter. Tony states that diversifying the revenue stream helps him cope with unexpected accidents, such as a sudden increase in Twitter API cost. Tony's story will be exceptionally informative for those looking forward to starting one’s own business.

Stories of Entrepreneurs & Changemakers

👉 How a Textile Company CEO established Pakistan’s Most Influential NGO

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Seema Aziz, the founder of Pakistan’s most extensive education NGO, was originally the CEO of an already successful textile company. Despite her achievements, Seema thought she had to contribute to society. Her dedication led to establishing the CARE Foundation and developing an English curriculum, scholarship program, and school facilities. The organization now oversees over 300,000 children across nearly 900 schools nationwide. Seema’s story shows that remembering ‘why’ is essential to initiate something exceptional.

👉 7-Eleven Japan: from In-house Venture to the Brand’s New Headquarters

⏲️ _{2 Mins Reading} 

Anything can happen in the field of business, but 7-Eleven’s case is a particularly notable one. The American-based convenience store was acquired by the Japanese branch office in 1991. Former CEO Toshifumi Suzuki, who introduced the convenience business to Japan, thoroughly localized the stores and ensured clean maintenance. With the US branch’s transparent accounting and price strategy, 7-Eleven Japan became the brand’s new headquarters. Read more about Toshifumi’s business insight that created the fifth-biggest convenience store in the world.

How did the mail treat you today?

From my point of view, the global business environment is more dynamic than ever. There’s too much information for entrepreneurs and startup people to handle. That is why I keep monitoring several startups/solo entrepreneur media to understand better what is necessary for you. I hope today’s content is helpful, and your feedback will be greatly appreciated.

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