Requests for Startups

I’m looking to meet consumer brand founders with tech startup experience. The market conditions are perfect for K-consumer brands to go global, and I believe the classic tech startup playbook still works well in categories like beauty and fashion.

If you’re someone who builds data-driven sales strategies even before launching a product, makes decisions based on measurable insights rather than pure branding or creativity, or comes from a background in product management or development and is now exploring a consumer venture—I’d love to hear from you.

I’m looking to connect with K-brands designed for Muslim women. I see strong opportunities in both beauty and fashion.

The hijab is central to this market. It has been less than a decade since Muslim women began working out in gyms in significant numbers, and I’m confident this trend will continue to grow. That’s why we’re interested in K-fashion brands that bring a distinctly Korean design perspective to functional modest fashion, including products such as sports hijabs.

As more women exercise while wearing hijabs, scalp health will become an increasingly important concern. This creates meaningful opportunities for K-beauty brands developing hair and scalp care products. Makeup for women who wear hijabs also requires a different approach, opening another emerging area worth exploring.

The beauty market is also undergoing an important regulatory shift. Beginning in October 2026, Indonesia—one of the world’s largest markets for Muslim consumers—will allow only halal-certified consumer products to be sold. We’d love to meet K-brands that understand these changes and are building for this fast-evolving market.

Today I’d like to share an idea I call “IRL,” short for “in real life.” It refers to experiences that take place in the physical world rather than online and is already a familiar term in the United States.

Koreans have always excelled at creating engaging experiences in small spaces. Escape room cafés are a great example. But young people in Korea are looking for more exciting experiences, while many regional towns are struggling with population decline. I see an opportunity to expand these creative concepts beyond a single room to the scale of an entire town or village. Rural areas have plenty of underused land, and turning those spaces into immersive experiences could create not just one-off events, but a repeatable system.

We’ve already seen projects such as MrBeast’s Squid Game and other games adapted into offline events. What if we turned that idea into a recurring experience that attracts both domestic and international visitors? It could become a scalable global model for offline entertainment.

If this vision resonates with you, I’d love to hear from you.

I believe the next big opportunity for K-beauty lies in scalp care. Thinning hair and dryness are growing concerns for many people, and nearly 50% of adults worldwide experience dandruff. Up to 80% of men and 50% of women experience hair loss, with concern rising among younger generations. Yet effective solutions remain limited. While skincare has evolved into highly segmented categories based on skin type, ingredients, and texture, scalp care still focuses largely on basic cleansing and conditioning.

K-beauty startups already benefit from world-class ODM/OEM infrastructure, advanced formulations, and strong global marketing capabilities. Applying that proven formula to scalp care could redefine the category by bringing the same sophistication to the scalp that consumers now expect from skincare.

There are many ways to approach this market, from new functional ingredients and cosmeceutical concepts that bridge dermatology and cosmetics to product routines designed for use before, during, and after showering. I’d love to meet a team ready to bring the K-skincare playbook to scalp care and lead this next wave of innovation.