[Dongguk University Campus Town X IT Donga] Since 2022, Dongguk University has participated in the Seoul Campus Town project, creating a startup ecosystem in the northwestern urban area. By supporting deep tech and cultural content startups, it has been selected as an excellent example of entrepreneurship development for two consecutive years and received an A+ grade in the 2024 Seoul Campus Town performance evaluation. IT Donga introduces promising startups developing with Dongguk University Campus Town.
"The goal is not to tell parents to be perfect, but to help them find their strengths and build positive relationships with their children. The aim is for parents to establish stable attachment relationships with their children, and for children to learn proper social-emotional skills to grow into mentally healthy individuals. Ultimately, the beneficiaries are the children, but it also helps parents grow together."
The Solution for Bringing Academic Innovation to Homes Lies in Startups
CEO Hee-Young Kim's decision to start a business began during her master's program. She said, "During the master's program, I conducted many social-emotional development experiments. I strongly felt that all parents raising young children share common anxieties. I started my research hoping that all parents and children in the world would be happy, but the reality is that it takes a long time for even the best papers to reach homes. After much thought, I concluded that the way to directly connect academic research to homes is through startups, which led me to decide to start a business."
Beta Service Completed, Official Service to Launch in the Second Half
Parentalize will officially launch its service in the fourth quarter of this year. In the initial test phase, about 200 people expressed a desire to participate, but it was conducted with a small number of people to secure data. Once the app or automation is reflected, the plan is to increase the number of participants significantly. Although the test lasted only a month or two, the stories added to the sense of mission.
The third case involved granting autonomy to a child through a mission proposed by Parentalize. "One day, the child spilled milk, and normally, the parent would have pointed out, 'I told you I'd do it.' However, the parent recalled the mission to acknowledge and encourage the child's efforts, cheered the child on, and the child cleaned up independently, showing responsibility. At that moment, the mother said, 'I'm proud of you no matter how you solve it,' and hugged the child. This experience is the change Parentalize aims for," she said. Support from Dongguk University Campus Town, Including Expert Mentoring and Networking
Meanwhile, the support from Dongguk University Campus Town was instrumental in Potentivo Lab's smooth service development. CEO Hee-Young Kim said, "I applied for the Campus Town project in April this year and was accepted by all three Seoul-based Campus Towns I applied to. I chose Dongguk University because I thought it was good in terms of geographical location and networking or relationships."
CEO Hee-Young Kim said, "I thought that as a startup, it was enough to make a good product, but there were more administrative tasks related to starting a business than expected. Dongguk University Campus Town presents the procedures that early startups need to follow step by step, making the company feel like it's growing. It feels like having a partner in business growth." The Mission of Family Peace... Aiming to Become a Company That Grows and Contributes Together
She also said, "Unlike face-to-face counseling, Parentalize is a digital coaching service that supports parent-child relationships preventively rather than as counseling. The core is to help parents and children communicate more healthily based on everyday conversations. There is no similar service in Korea yet. The important thing is that everyone in the industry works with the common goal of psychological health in families. I want to create an ecosystem that grows together rather than competes. I will strive to spread awareness that it is important to intervene preventively before problems arise and to promote new ways of communication."
IT Donga Reporter Nam Si-Hyun (sh@itdonga.com)
AI-translated with ChatGPT. Provided as is; original Korean text prevails.
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