Published : Nov. 23, 2016 - 18:04
Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands encouraged South Korea’s entry-level entrepreneurs to pursue their dream at a special edition of the Get in the Ring startup event held Tuesday in Gangnam, Seoul.
While acknowledging that startups in both Korea and the Netherlands have to operate in a tough environment, the Dutch Prince boosted the spirit of entrepreneurship by reminding the event’s attendees that they have a chance to create the future and put ideas to work.
Prince Constantijn of the Netherlands The World Press Photo Foundation
“Much of entrepreneurship is about fight. You have to fight a lot of adversaries. In the Netherlands it’s the same, we have big corporations which were aspired to be job for life. But now people are aspired to be free to develop their own ideas. It is happening at an incredible pace,” Prince Constantijn said in a welcome address during an opening ceremony at the Naver D2 Startup Factory.
Prince Constantijn was in Korea for a three-day visit through Wednesday to promote the Netherlands as a destination for entry-level entrepreneurs, in particular for Korean startups seeking to tap into the European market, according to the Dutch Embassy in Seoul.
He took part in the event as a judge to choose a team presenting a product or service with high potential.
Seven Korean teams looking to branch out to the Netherlands and seven Dutch teams wishing to operate here participated in the tournament jointly hosted by the embassy and the Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation.
Get in the Ring is a startup tournament that began in the Netherlands as a platform for entrepreneurs and investors to network.
“It was a meaningful event for entry-level local startups to meet foreign business partners, and to spot opportunities for overseas operation,” Kim Won-jee, CEO assistant manager of Mesh Korea, a Korean delivery service provider, told The Korea Herald.
By Kim Bo-gyung (
lisakim425@heraldcorp.com)