Program Director, Korea
500 Startups
Operations
Seoul, South Korea
Posted on Apr 30, 2025
Our Mission
We uplift people and economies around the world through entrepreneurship.
Who We Are
500 Global is a venture capital firm with $2.2B in assets under management that invests in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth. We work closely with key stakeholders and advise governments and corporations on how best to support entrepreneurial ecosystems so startups can thrive. 500 Global has backed over 5,000 founders representing more than 3,000+ companies operating in 80+ countries. We have invested in 35+ companies valued at over $1 billion and 160+ companies valued at over $100 million (including private, public, and exited companies). Our 180+ team members are located in 27 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies.
The Program Director, Korea will be the key person on the ground in Korea, forging and managing relationships with all stakeholders such as governments, corporates, family offices and more, to develop further programmatic and other opportunity identification to strengthen our presence in Korea.
This role is expected to grow our programmatic activity in Korea, and drive, implement, and measure the success of our programs there. You will be responsible for developing the strategic direction and investment thesis of programs, through collaboration with clients, Market Strategy, Market Launch and investment partners, and through developing a curated team of mentors and networks for founders.
Key Responsibilities
- Research market opportunities, strategic stakeholders and other initiatives to inform our market strategy for Korea.
- Drive client engagement and business development initiatives to identify potential programmatic partners for programs aligned with our market and investment strategies. Manage end-to-end from ideation with clients to program delivery.
- Design and implement programs aligned with global standards while adapting for local context, iterating and redesigning them as required while ensuring quality in structure, curriculum, and content.
- Proactive and effective management of cross-team dependencies and facilitating smooth and efficient collaboration with other teams such as Legal, Data, Brand, and others.
- Own and lead the implementation of all programs, events, and activities under the 500 Korea initiative, ensuring consistency, quality, and alignment with 500 Global’s goals and delivering the best possible experience for founders.
- Work closely with the Market Launch team to identify, source, and select great companies for our programs.
- Build, strengthen, and maintain founders’ community experiences, including but not limited to monitoring efficacy of office hours, actively facilitating meaningful and relevant introductions, and designing curated experiences to enhance founder engagement.
- Manage and navigate relationships with both internal and external stakeholders to track, monitor, and measure timely feedback and sentiment to ensure we not only meet, but exceed expectations.
Key Requirements
- At least 8 years of professional experience working within startups, VC, and / or technology industries
- Prior experience as a founder of a technology company would be an advantage Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Korean
- Excellent communication, project management, collaboration and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to take initiative and lead projects from start to finish with stakeholder buy-in
- Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills capable of synthesizing founder and ecosystem related data and information in a clear and concise manner, to derive actionable insights
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment under deadlines
- Global & cultural awareness, and excited about working in a diverse environment with people from around the world
- Work authorization in Korea
500 Global does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.
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