Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Partners’ Upscale Program (STEP-UP) 2022
KSEA STEP-UP 2022 Committee
Chair: IL Minn, PhD
The Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) will hold the 3rd Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Partners’ Upscale Program (STEP-UP) in New York City from May 23 ~ 26, 2022. Its mission is to encourage and nurture tech-based entrepreneurial activities among our members, as well as to provide resources and networking opportunities in the fields of Healthcare and their applications. The focus theme for this year is 'Cell and Gene Therapy & Healthcare in Digital Era,' two industry frontiers that are transforming the future of medicine.
Conference Objectives
Increase the likelihood of KSEA members' innovative businesses succeeding by providing them with the knowledge and expertise they need to launch new around on their original ideas and technologies in the domains of bio/healthcare.
Create a platform for small and medium-sized venture companies to share strategies and ideas for accelerating growth while reducing risk.
Encourage collaborations among KSEA scholars, scientists, developers, entrepreneurs, lawyers, marketers, and other experts in the fields of bio/healthcare to create a new ecosystem of Korean-American companies.
Provide entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized businesses from Korea in the fields of bio/healthcare with the opportunity to form partnerships with US partners from various experts including but not limited to academics, scientists, engineers, developers, professional managers, financiers, lawyers, and marketers.
Conference Format
STEP-UP 2022 will be held as an Online / in-person hybrid event to accommodate nationwide and international participants. We aim to host 50 – 80 in-person and 200 online attendees. A large conference room will be secured for on-site operation meeting the government guidelines in the COVID-19 pandemic. The online conference will be hosted through a combination of KESA website and Zoom Webinar to enable the participants to actively network with other attendees as well as to provide good multimedia experience of the presentations and in networking sessions.
The STEP-UP 2022 will be supported by KSEA Affiliated Professional Societies (APS) and local chapters including KAPAL (Korean-American Professional Association in Life Sciences), KITEE (Korean-American Innovative Technology Engineers and Entrepreneurs), KSEA NY, NJ, ad Baltimore Chapters. We also partner with Korean agencies in US including, KUSCO, KOTRA, KIAT, and Consulate General in NY. We seek industry sponsors including SK Holdings and Center for Breakthrough Medicines (tentative).
Committee
Table1: STEP-UP 2022 Committee
| Name | Roles | Affiliation / Title |
|---|---|---|
| IL Minn | Chair | KSEA Entrepreneurship Director / Assistant Professor, Johns Hopkins Medicine |
| Jeho Park | Co-Chair, Program US | Director, Quantitative & Computing Lab / Claremont McKenna College |
| Kevin Kim | Co-Chair, Program Korea | CEO, Brave Turtles / President, SoCal K-Group |
| Kwangrok Kim | Co-Chair, VC | Managing Partner, Primer Sazze Partners |
| Stella Kim | Co-Chair, YG and Local | Technical Program Manager, Data Service Company |
| Kate Hyun | Financial Director | Associate Professor, The University of Texas at Arlington |
| Jennifer Cho | PR Director | Head of Business Development, Millibatt |
| Joonyeol Kim | Local Director | CEO, Ciscovery Bio Inc. |
| James Han | Program Director | Postdoctoral Scientist, Harvard Medical School |
| Mingyu Jeon | Publication Director | Frontend Engineer, eBay |
| Hyesoo Cho | General Director, Financial Manager | US FDA |
| Jun-Seok Oh | Advisor | KSEA 48th President |
| Kyungho Yang | Advisor | KITEE President |
In addition to the committee members, KSEA HQ Staff shown in Table 2 supported the event in various aspects including finance and website management.
Table2: KSEA HQ Supporting Staff
| Name | Roles | Affiliation / Title |
|---|---|---|
| Euna Yoon | Administration Support | KSEA Administrative Manager |
| Kelly Han | Finance Management | KSEA Finance Manager |
| Katie Park | Website Management | KSEA IT Manager |
