[Independent Labels]Testipie : The Startup Dreamt of in College, Realized Through Alpha Brothers' Internal Startup Program
18 Aug 2024
Each entrepreneur has their own unique reason for deciding to start a business. Some are inspired by a brilliant idea, while others are motivated by a trusted colleague's suggestion. There are also those who have relentlessly pursued the single goal of entrepreneurship.
Today, we introduce the story of Jaehoon Kim, CEO of Testipie, who fits into the latter category. As the second feature in our Alpha Brothers Internal Startup Series, we'll explore how CEO Kim realized his long-held dream of starting a business, a dream he's had since his college days, through Alpha Brothers' Internal Startup Program.
Main Takeaways ๐ข
Market Viability Testing is just the beginning! 'Testipie' also supports expansion into new market areas.
Realizing a college dream: How Testipie was launched through Alpha Brothers' Internal Startup Program.
Meet Jaehoon Kim, who has pursued the path of entrepreneurship with a great determination.
The Key is the Top-Level Expert Support Essential for Building a Company.
Jaehoon Kim, CEO of Testipie, Supporting Business Idea Validation and Market Expansion
CHAPTER 01. The College Dream of Entrepreneurship Realized at AB
Q. Please introduce yourself.
It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Jaehoon Kim, the founder of "Testipie".
Q. What does "Testipie" offer?
There's an English word "Testify" that means "to prove". While our company name isn't spelled exactly the same, we focus on proving business ideas through testing and helping expand their market reach.
Q. Can you tell us what led you to join Alpha Brothers?
I had a dream of starting my own business since my university days. When I felt lost about how to go about it, I decided to join a consulting company where I could learn from entrepreneurs. I started my career as a strategy consultant, but as I worked, I often thought, "Starting a business isn't for everyone. Maybe it's not the right time for me to start one." So, I put my entrepreneurial dreams on hold and continued working as a consultant.
Over time, I developed a desire to move beyond one-off consulting projects and support continuous scale-ups. This led me to become interested in organizations that focus on investment and scaling, like accelerators. When I came across a job opening at Alpha Brothers, it caught my attention, and I decided to apply.
Q. Since you had an interest in entrepreneurship, the Alpha Brothers' Internal Startup Program must have caught your eye. What motivated you to apply for it?
As I worked at Alpha Brothers, my desire to start a business naturally resurfaced. Being surrounded by strong infrastructure in areas like marketing, design, and development made me think, "If I have a really good business idea, I could actually make it happen." This environment gave me the confidence to pursue entrepreneurship again. So, I decided to apply to the Internal Startup Program with the idea of creating a solution in the field I was already skilled in—validations of business ideas and BMs.
The Testipie Team and their MVP Testing
CHAPTER 02. The Key to Success: People Who Support You as If It's Their Own Business
Q. What kind of support did you receive from the Internal Startup Program?
There are three main areas of support I received: mental support, material support, and company building.
First, let's talk about mental support. One of my favorite quotes is, "The two major innovations a startup creates are the product and the organization." While we were focused on creating an innovative product and delivering satisfaction to customers, leading the organization was also a significant challenge. Alpha Brothers is full of young entrepreneurs like myself who dream of starting businesses. The ability to share similar concerns and struggles when forming teams or navigating the process was incredibly helpful for my mental well-being.
Second is material support. For someone like me who started with very little, the provision of great team members, a comfortable office space, and high-performance laptops was invaluable. The material support that allowed me to attract talented team members was particularly beneficial.
Lastly, there's company building. I believe that business is a game of multiplication, where if even one factor becomes zero, the business fails. There are so many aspects that need to be addressed, like marketing, development, and service planning. Alpha Brothers has experts in all these areas. The key to success was being able to receive support from top-level professionals in building the company.
Q. Which of these support was most helpful?
I’ve wanted to start a business from a very young age. If you look at the notes on my phone, you'll see that I have many business ideas saved. Every time I looked at those ideas, I would think, "I wish I had a team to work on this with," and "I wish I could get more help with these." It was a cycle of regret. But at Alpha Brothers, whether it’s development, planning, or design, there are experts who are much better than me in each field, and they help out with genuine dedication as if each business idea were their own. This heartfelt support was exactly what I needed the most and what helped me the most.
Q. What does "Entrepreneurship" mean to you?
I believe that entrepreneurship is a game of multiplication. If even one element becomes zero, everything becomes zero, so you need to excel in every aspect and be prepared to handle everything. Whether it's mental resilience, material support, or any component of company building that I mentioned earlier, you have to get it all right. That's why it’s not easy, and why the statistics show that 9 out of 10 startups fail. I’ve known this from the data for a long time, but now I face the reality that it could happen to me, and I find myself pushing through and overcoming challenges every day. That's why I view entrepreneurship as a multiplication game—where you need to excel in everything and succeed in every area.
Jaehoon Kim's words, "Entrepreneurship is a game of multiplication," resonate deeply because they reflect the dedication of the Startup Support Groups, who work tirelessly to ensure that nothing falls to zero. We wholeheartedly support Testipie as they strive toward their goals.
Each entrepreneur has their own unique reason for deciding to start a business. Some are inspired by a brilliant idea, while others are motivated by a trusted colleague's suggestion. There are also those who have relentlessly pursued the single goal of entrepreneurship.
Today, we introduce the story of Jaehoon Kim, CEO of Testipie, who fits into the latter category.
As the second feature in our Alpha Brothers Internal Startup Series, we'll explore how CEO Kim realized his long-held dream of starting a business, a dream he's had since his college days, through Alpha Brothers' Internal Startup Program.
Main Takeaways ๐ข
The Key is the Top-Level Expert Support
Essential for Building a Company.
CHAPTER 01.
The College Dream of Entrepreneurship Realized at AB
Q. Please introduce yourself.
It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Jaehoon Kim, the founder of "Testipie".
Q. What does "Testipie" offer?
There's an English word "Testify" that means "to prove". While our company name isn't spelled exactly the same, we focus on proving business ideas through testing and helping expand their market reach.
Q. Can you tell us what led you to join Alpha Brothers?
I had a dream of starting my own business since my university days. When I felt lost about how to go about it, I decided to join a consulting company where I could learn from entrepreneurs. I started my career as a strategy consultant, but as I worked, I often thought, "Starting a business isn't for everyone. Maybe it's not the right time for me to start one." So, I put my entrepreneurial dreams on hold and continued working as a consultant.
Over time, I developed a desire to move beyond one-off consulting projects and support continuous scale-ups. This led me to become interested in organizations that focus on investment and scaling, like accelerators. When I came across a job opening at Alpha Brothers, it caught my attention, and I decided to apply.
Q. Since you had an interest in entrepreneurship, the Alpha Brothers' Internal Startup Program must have caught your eye. What motivated you to apply for it?
As I worked at Alpha Brothers, my desire to start a business naturally resurfaced. Being surrounded by strong infrastructure in areas like marketing, design, and development made me think, "If I have a really good business idea, I could actually make it happen." This environment gave me the confidence to pursue entrepreneurship again. So, I decided to apply to the Internal Startup Program with the idea of creating a solution in the field I was already skilled in—validations of business ideas and BMs.
CHAPTER 02.
The Key to Success: People Who Support You as If It's Their Own Business
Q. What kind of support did you receive from the Internal Startup Program?
There are three main areas of support I received: mental support, material support, and company building.
First, let's talk about mental support. One of my favorite quotes is, "The two major innovations a startup creates are the product and the organization." While we were focused on creating an innovative product and delivering satisfaction to customers, leading the organization was also a significant challenge. Alpha Brothers is full of young entrepreneurs like myself who dream of starting businesses. The ability to share similar concerns and struggles when forming teams or navigating the process was incredibly helpful for my mental well-being.
Second is material support. For someone like me who started with very little, the provision of great team members, a comfortable office space, and high-performance laptops was invaluable. The material support that allowed me to attract talented team members was particularly beneficial.
Lastly, there's company building. I believe that business is a game of multiplication, where if even one factor becomes zero, the business fails. There are so many aspects that need to be addressed, like marketing, development, and service planning. Alpha Brothers has experts in all these areas. The key to success was being able to receive support from top-level professionals in building the company.
Q. Which of these support was most helpful?
I’ve wanted to start a business from a very young age. If you look at the notes on my phone, you'll see that I have many business ideas saved. Every time I looked at those ideas, I would think, "I wish I had a team to work on this with," and "I wish I could get more help with these." It was a cycle of regret. But at Alpha Brothers, whether it’s development, planning, or design, there are experts who are much better than me in each field, and they help out with genuine dedication as if each business idea were their own. This heartfelt support was exactly what I needed the most and what helped me the most.
Q. What does "Entrepreneurship" mean to you?
I believe that entrepreneurship is a game of multiplication. If even one element becomes zero, everything becomes zero, so you need to excel in every aspect and be prepared to handle everything. Whether it's mental resilience, material support, or any component of company building that I mentioned earlier, you have to get it all right.
That's why it’s not easy, and why the statistics show that 9 out of 10 startups fail. I’ve known this from the data for a long time, but now I face the reality that it could happen to me, and I find myself pushing through and overcoming challenges every day. That's why I view entrepreneurship as a multiplication game—where you need to excel in everything and succeed in every area.
Q. What are Testipie's goals moving forward?
2024๋ ์๋ก์ด ์์ฅ์ผ๋ก ์ง์ถํ๋ ํด์ ๋๋ค. ์ ๋ถ ์ง์ ์ฌ์ ์ธ ๋ฏผ๊ฐ์ฌ์ ์ผ๋ก ํ์ฅํ๋ ๊ฒ์ด ๋ชฉํ์ ๋๋ค.
Interview Video of Jaehoon Kim, CEO of Testipie
Jaehoon Kim's words, "Entrepreneurship is a game of multiplication," resonate deeply because they reflect the dedication of the Startup Support Groups, who work tirelessly to ensure that nothing falls to zero. We wholeheartedly support Testipie as they strive toward their goals.