Hanyang University’s Startup Support Foundation is constantly dedicated towards its mission to foster global entrepreneurs through expanding its domestic and international network.

Last summer, the foundation partnered with TU Berlin’s Centre for Entrepreneurship to launch the ‘Global Startup Internship in Berlin,’ enabling students to join local startups and experience Europe’s entrepreneurial ecosystem for two months. Over the internship period, students were able to  develop practical skills in creative problem-solving, global collaboration, and entrepreneurial thinking, with support including internship grants, flights, insurance, accommodation, and pre-training. Three participating startups covered different fields, from industrial software to AI. The final selection of startups to collaborate with involved both internal assessment from the foundation and interviews with startup representatives.

Yoo Seung-min, who has prior experience as a startup developer in Korea, applied for the program out of curiosity about overseas startup cultures. Out of the three startups, he interned at an AI startup ‘AIdvance.’ Talking about his motivation behind applying to Aldvance, he described Berlin as “a multicultural city ideal for meeting AI experts worldwide.”

AIdvance is a fledgling company developing an AI psychological counselor. Yoo was responsible for data structure design, data processing pipelines, and psychological counseling-related web server development. His most memorable task was collaborating with psychopathology experts, marking his first experience working with international specialists across fields to produce tangible outcomes.

After his internship, Yoo signed a remote freelance contract to work from Korea, thanks to the flexible work environment. He recalled comfortably discussing company vision with the CEO for two hours and enjoying climbing and biking with colleagues on weekends. He said, “The equal working culture allowed interns to freely propose ideas, fostering responsibility and active engagement.”

Yoo reflected on his experience, “I realized the social value of entrepreneurship through working for a company aimed toward public good.”

Park Hyun-jun, who had a steady interest in ERP(Enterprise Resource Planning), focused on Germany’s status as a global ERP leader. ERP integrates company resources to enhance operational efficiency. He interned at software company TVINN, developing production planning systems for manufacturers that unify material procurement, product manufacturing, and inventory management.

Park contributed to developing software optimization modules, particularly a demand forecasting module for client company ‘Schaeffler,’ using historical data to predict six-month demand.

He noted Germany’s manufacturing relies heavily on ‘SAP’, an ERP software, and Excel for process management, appreciating its framework and efficiency. Park expressed his ambition, “I would like to start a software development and distribution company to improve manufacturing efficiency in Korea” and shared that he is preparing for graduate studies to realize this.

With him considering overseas employment, the program was a precious opportunity for him to shape up his career and future. Kim Yoo-chan utilized his expertise from double majoring in Mechanical Engineering and Business Administration to join Blindleister GmbH’s business development team. He estimated future earnings daily via CRM platforms and developed team strategies, experiencing firsthand how startups operate.

Kim experienced both advantages and drawbacks of a small scale startup; although open discussions were comfortable, early-stage startups have inevitable challenges. He recalled, “Once, I had to manually correct data errors for a week, nearly risking all efforts until then.” However, he also gained unexpected insights. “Germany used to stick to existing, historical technologies, but the atmosphere is changing. It can turn into a grand market for innovative technologies in the near future.”

Kim said, “This experience transformed my ‘question marks’ about overseas employment into ‘exclamation marks,’” and expressed his determination to step toward his career path with confidence.

The primary challenge of the internship abroad was the language. Park admitted he understood only 20% of his weekly Monday meetings and used AI recordings to review and ask colleagues questions to keep up. Yoo emphasized repeatedly asking questions, saying “Colleagues would never mind or be bothered by your questions. Through clarifying the unknowns and familiarizing myself with common phrases, comprehension naturally improved.”

Lastly, they encouraged future Hanyangian interns to broaden their views and reflect on themselves through the program. Park advised “Don’t be afraid and to take on challenges,” while Yoo recommended “Understand the requirements and level of competence needed to apply to the internship companies and prepare applications and interviews thoroughly. You will get the opportunities you want.”