Seoul CCEI, "Leveraging International Internship Success to Fuel Startup Globalization"

- Seoul CCEI launched an international internship program, partnering with major U.S. universities to help Korean startups expand globally by collaborating with international talent like Rinairis Roman.
- Through this program, interns gained practical experience in global business, contributed to startup support events, and developed cross-cultural skills.
- Seoul CCEI plans to continue recruiting international talent in 2026 to further drive the globalization of Korean startups.


For corporations and government agencies to successfully enter the global market and achieve meaningful results, a profound understanding of local culture and market specifics is paramount. It necessitates planning relevant content and events, and executing them with appeal and effective delivery. To do so, collaborating with talent deeply versed in the local culture and market characteristics is essential. However, finding international talent, sharing ideas, conducting joint research, and producing outcomes together is no easy feat.

The Seoul Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (CCEI), which spearheads Korean startups' overseas expansion and open innovation with global companies, grappled with this very dilemma. This year, for the first time, it tackled this challenge by connecting with international talent through an overseas internship program. This initiative partners with major U.S. universities, helping students work with companies or organizations in various countries.

Young-jun Kim, Head of Seoul CCEI Global Business team(leftmost), Rinairis Roman(second from the left), and General manager of Global Business team / source=IT dongA

The international talent Seoul CCEI met was Rinairis Roman, an intern who studied International Business at Juniata College in the United States. She worked alongside the Seoul CCEI Global Team on planning startup support events both in Korea and abroad, open innovation operations, and content research and production. Her roles also encompassed international market research, supporting networking events, conducting meetings and webinar business meetings with key global startup figures, website translation/interpretation, and creating Google survey forms for startups.

Seoul CCEI held a global startup event with overseas talent / source=Seoul CCEI

Rinairis Roman stated she experienced significant value while working with Seoul CCEI. These included: the experience of collaborating beyond cultural and linguistic differences; becoming a key component of the global startup ecosystem and operating diverse programs; practically applying and advancing her International Business major knowledge; identifying areas for improvement in her expertise through open innovation operations; and broadening her perspective on the industry.

She noted that through her time at Seoul CCEI, she acquired various practical skills and knowledge, and internalized the mindset of industry-leading figures. She also expressed gaining confidence and a determination to take on roles requiring greater responsibility. Furthermore, she added her wish for Seoul CCEI to independently run such an internship program, providing opportunities for growth and challenge to more international talents.

Seoul CCEI held a global startup event with overseas talent / source=Seoul CCEI

Roman encouraged international talents with ability and knowledge to actively participate in internship programs to meet excellent corporate/institutional partners like Seoul CCEI. She advised them not to fear cultural and language barriers, to maintain an open mind, and to trust in their abilities. She is confident that doing so will lead them to encounter great opportunities for growth with excellent teams and members.

Based on her internship experience at Seoul CCEI, she revealed her ambition to advance her International Business knowledge and leverage her capabilities at a global business company. She plans to build a global career by combining her academic knowledge with the practical experience, business-friendly mindset, and network gained during this internship.

Seoul CCEI, in turn, acknowledged receiving substantial support from international talent like Rinairis Roman. They expressed satisfaction with conceiving and enhancing the completeness of global-facing startup support projects alongside her. The CCEI also achieved its goal of collaborating with and expanding its network among international talents who help globalize the startup ecosystem.

Consequently, Seoul CCEI announced plans to recruit international talent and operate the internship program again in 2026, adding, "We invite anyone who dreams of globalizing Seoul CCEI and our startups to participate."

Young-jun Kim, Head of the Global Business Team at Seoul CCEI, stated, "While striving for the globalization of our startups and open innovation, we received significant assistance by conducting an internship with international talent. We have already recruited a new intern to join us in 2026. By working with highly capable international talent, we will take the lead in facilitating the global expansion of Korean startups and revitalizing domestic inbound activities."

By Joo-kyung Cha (racingcar@itdonga.com)