Introduction
Seed:s is a nonprofit organization with a mission to support social entrepreneurs and create an innovative model for social enterprises, while studying future trends of social innovation. Our main objectives are to: promote training for young social entrepreneurs, create an innovative social business model, develop a support base for social enterprises, provide feasible solutions to the social problems in Korea through social entrepreneurship, and create a sustainable eco-system for social enterprises based on self-motivation and creativity of the civil society.
Its business area includes development and operations of venture hub space and social enterprise incubation programs. Seed:s opened Seocho Creative Hub which is Korea's first innovative cluster for young social entrepreneurs and Eunpyeong-gu Social Economy Hub Center to imple ment local issue projects. Seed:s has incubated over 200 startups by running H-On Dream program for 8 years and helps young social entrepreneurs and activists to visit successful practices of social entrepreneurship and social innovation across the world through fellowship program called Seeker:s.
Seed:s has opened a new space in Sewoon shopping center since 2017. Coupled with Sewoon’s excellent manufacture and distribution system, and its city centered position, we seek to focus on fostering technology startups.
Makercity Sewoon- The city of bright future of urban manufacturing Sewoon shopping center, established in 1967, is the first commercial and residential complex in Korea. It reached its heyday as Sewoon Electronics Plaza in the 1970s, but as the distribution structure changes, the giant companies and internet shopping malls threatened sales of Sewoon in the 2000s. Once demolition and reconstruction plans had been on the table, the Seoul Metropolitan Government kicks off ‘The Sewoon Project’(meaning revitalization project) to pursue sustainable urban planning. The Sewoon Project presents ‘Makercity Sewoon’ blueprint to boost the business potential of Sewoon by enhance the urban manufacturing platform. Urban manufacturing, commerce and culture will be connected around Sewoon and young entrepreneurs provided with strategic foothold spaces will participate in the process of manufacturing production. Makercity Sewoon, equipped with promising futuristic technologies, has its years of expansion ahead of it. |
Core Businesses
01 Foster social enterprise and young social entrepreneurs
Nurturing social entrepreneurs who propose innovative ideas to solve social problems - entrepreneurship education, creative social enterprise incubation, ideas competition for local revitalization and fund raising for impact investments
02 Create a civil base and build investor networks
Strengthening sustainability through integrated support – from management consulting, network building for cooperation and collaboration to creation of favorable environment for social ventures.
03 Develop a localization model
Policy research and development to promote social enterprises who contribute to local job creation and improvement of local economy and build a new model of community based economic development.
04 Mediate resources between sectors
Organizing impact investing group of management professionals as a new way for capital finance and management support Advocating moral and ethical consumption by conducting a campaign and forum.
05 Study social enterprises and create development models
Facilitating collaborative research on company’s social responsibility, third sector innovations, empowerment of local communities and social capital formation.
06 Distribute the Korean social enterprise model to foreign countries
Cultivating social entrepreneurs in Asia who will play a key role in confronting poverty and setting up a fund to support them Supporting social enterprise for international development and international internships for Asian youth.