The boom for start-up companies is only at its initial stage. AI, blockchain, and big data are a part of the huge market for start-up companies. The Hanyang Journal interviewed So Jae-woo, a CEO of Black Ruby Studio and a panelist for the ‘2018 Start-up Busking’ festival held last October at HIT to provide those interested in start-up with practical advice.
Q. You participated as a panelist in the ‘2018 Start-up Busking’ festival held last October. What are some of the things that you talked about?
A. First, I did suggest becoming a part of a start-up business itself, but not always as a CEO. Being a CEO is, of course, a position that one should be very proud of. But they should also remember that they must give up a substantial portion of their personal lives. Therefore, being a “teammate” in a company instead can be a great alternative, with less responsibilities and more personal time to spare. In addition, I talked about blockchain technology and AI, the main focus of Black Ruby Studio. Entry barriers are not as high for AI and blockchain technology, with much more to be discovered. So, I believe that it will be worth a challenge for the students to become entrepreneurs in start-up companies based on AI technology.
Q. Can you briefly introduce the main business item of Black Ruby Studio and the technology incorporated in it?
A. Black Ruby Studio provides a service called Find Big 5, a website that analyzes the five big platforms’ (Facebook, Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Apple) news in the media outlet to help users efficiently search for business information according to keywords. First, we collect news sources through a method called “crawling” by going through a vast range of information on web pages. Next, we automate the grouping process of the collected information into several sectors. Then information is prioritized, processed, and categorized accordingly to serve the readers’ needs.
Q. What is the ultimate goal of Black Ruby Studio as a startup business?
A. I hope Black Ruby Studio maintains its form as a studio where people can freely come and go either as a team or as an individual. Money-making is definitely one of many reasons as to why we work so hard, but most of all, I wish my teammates would engage passionately into their projects to produce business items they can proudly present to the society.
Q. Do you have any advice to those interested in starting their own start-up business?
A. Again, I do appreciate people’s interest and dearly hope the interest becomes reality. I send support to those who are willing to establish a start-up company, in whatever field that is, and I hope they persevere despite many of the hardships that will follow. But I also hope people find a balance in work and life, especially for those in their twenties. Maybe this is why I suggest being a “teammate” in a company as well.