ORANG&ORANG, Hailey Yang CEO

To celebrate Tech Seoul's launch, we set off to meet more CEOs representing Korean startups. Firstly we interviewed Hailey Yang, CEO of ORANG&ORANG. The interview was carried out in writing.

Good morning, Ms., Hailey Yang. Thank you for taking the time to meet with us today. An interview with Hailey Yang, CEO, Orang & Orang, that supports Korean businesses entering the global market, will be a very interesting and informative moment for Tech Seoul readers.

Q. Please introduce your company ORANG&ORANG

ORANG&ORANG is a business development and project planning company that started its business in 2014 as an AEPI Korean office in Grenoble, France. Currently, as the Korean office of Invest in Grenoble Alpes, we are carrying out various projects such as E2E, G2G, and B2B, as well as entry into Grenoble, France, and investment missions.

The membership service, which started in 2015, helps users use Orang & Orang's overall services for education, travel, and business at an efficient price, and promotes and exchanges products and services through newsletters and social media channels. Currently, it has about 70 domestic and foreign companies as member companies, and serves as a platform for cooperation among member companies.

Q. What kind of projects are planned for 2023?

We plan to visit with 15 companies from Gumi City and key officials from local governments at the MWC event in Barcelona next month. We plan to hold event observations and business exchange events.

Even after that, we are planning two or three business programs, including startups, local governments, and companies, visiting Grenoble, France, which we represent.

In the case of education programs, we plan to continue cooperation with Korean universities selected as software-oriented universities. We plan to carry out the same programs as last year's overseas entrepreneurship training and internships in the US and France. To this end, we plan to expand partnerships with overseas educational institutions and companies.

Lastly, since last year, we have been providing in-house business development team services to foreign companies that want to do business in Korea. We are proposing customized programs for market research and potential customer discovery to overseas companies that want to enter the Korean market, and we are currently working on three projects. Our goal is to minimize risk and help you enter the Korean market by providing services such as attending exhibitions and conferences, company PR/marketing, branding, and market research.

Q. What's the story befhind your comapny?

'Orang' in Orang & Orang means person in Malaysian/Indonesian. '&' means the value of 'connection' pursued by Orang & Orang.

I wanted to create a company that connects individuals, companies, and brands to discover their values, create stories, and let them shine. The era has come when many things can be replaced by AI and robots, and more diverse technologies will emerge in the future, but I still think that human emotion is the greatest power in business.

I think Orang&Orang's strength as a helper is to create cooperation by combining each other's influence and values rather than 'competition', and thereby plan new businesses and move forward.

Q. How do you set project goals?

Orang & Orang categorizes projects into two major categories.

There are customized projects that are carried out according to the requests of clients and business planning projects that we create. In the case of customized projects, we determine the target together with the client and rush to achieve it. Second, in the case of our own project, we aim to create a long-term story and create value that did not exist before, rather than short-term profit greed. When I do that, I think the project can last for a long time and demonstrates its value as a product.

Q What does the meaning of success for  you and your company?

For me, success means having the ability to support and protect the people I love. The company Orang & Orang will also do its best to think more creatively and become stronger so that our partners and customers can grow together.

Q. What can you actually do for Korean Startups?

Orang & Orang is actively helping Korean startups grow globally by cooperating with local governments and government agencies.

Through the ORANG&EXPERT program, we provide customized workshops and mentoring programs by connecting with a network of internal and external experts from ORANG&ORANG. Over the past 8 years, we have conducted more than 20 lecture/mentoring programs and met startups on various topics such as storytelling for startups, pitching education in front of overseas investors, and sales education in the non-face-to-face era.

In addition, through the CONNECT WITH ORANG program, we help startup groups or individual startups understand the business culture of the country and create practical business opportunities through participation in exhibitions and one-month experience programs so that they can advance overseas. . Last year, we took SBA (Seoul Business Agency) and Ulsan Creative Economy Innovation Center startups to Silicon Valley in Europe, Grenoble in France to conduct IR and startup ecosystem tour programs. In 2023, we plan to conduct a one-month living program in New York in cooperation with East Orion, a New York partner, and plan to participate in Tech Crunch with Korean startups in the second half of the year.

With East Orion, we plan to provide consulting services for Korean startups starting with market research and press release before entering the US, local IR and investor meetings, and soft landing afterwards. Additionally, established in 2022 in New York, Cherryon Consulting LLC, a subsidiary of Orang & Orang, will help startups and small businesses that do not have an office in the United States launch their U.S. business at an early stage. We are ready to support the steps from tax and accounting to establishing a business in the United States and leading to investment attraction.

Q. If there have been any issues you've encountered lately, please let us know how you overcame them.

Since we are a small company, we worry a lot about the size of the funds that must be invested in advance every time the business grows. This year, too, a large-scale business observer program is scheduled compared to the past three years, and it is a very important time because it is the time to increase the number of team members in preparation for new projects.

Through the 'INVEST WITH ORANG' project introduced when the company was growing one step three years ago, we have experience in operating with small investments. Among those who are interested in our business and curious about our business model, we received short-term investments with a maximum amount set per person who could serve as advisors. As long as funds are secured, as these are businesses with already secured business models, we paid 10-20% of profits as advisory fees to all investors, and it was a turning point where we could publicize the company's business and receive help. Just as Jules Austin learned a lot from Ben's experience and experience in the movie 'The Intern', Orang & Orang, a young and small company, was able to take a step forward. This year, we plan to secure funds through this project and grow the company to the next level.

Q.In one word, describe yourself? 

Passion

Q. What are your strengths and weaknesses?

I have the strength to overcome crises and put plans into action. Even in the same situation, he quickly finds a way to overcome it, interprets the situation positively, and has a personality that is not tied to the past. Also, it seems that putting the plans into action quickly, handling them, and taking the initiative has helped me to carry on with the business so far.

I am a bit introverted by nature. That's why I've been nervous about standing in front of others ever since I was in college, and I wasn't the type to lead the team first. So, during my school days, I deliberately tried to be a team leader, and I tried to take on the role of presenter when doing team assignments. Even now, networking parties, presentations, and lectures are still not easy for me. So I always try to prepare and practice twice or three times more than others. If this kind of experience continues, I will grow more, and I think that my introverted personality will become an advantage on the contrary.

Q.If you ask people who know you well what three adjectives best describe you, what would they say?

It seems that most people don't omit the word 'passionate' to describe me. In addition, the following comments were made: She moves quickly and communicates actively. She is creative and clever in producing new projects. She is sweet, caring, and genuine.

Thank you for your time today. We wish  ORANG&ORANG continued growth.