Jimmy’s journey has always been about building — companies, ecosystems, and opportunities for entrepreneurs. In 2012, when the idea of “acceleration” was still foreign to Korea, he helped pioneer a new path by localizing the Silicon Valley model and co-founding SparkLabs Global. What began as a bold experiment grew into a thriving platform that continues to empower founders across Asia and beyond.

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Before SparkLabs, Jimmy was a serial entrepreneur who knew firsthand the challenges of starting and scaling companies. He successfully built and exited startups acquired by global giants such as Cisco and Disney, and contributed to a unicorn team that went public on the Japanese stock exchange. These experiences gave him not only business acumen, but also deep empathy for the founder’s journey.

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In recognition of his impact on the region’s innovation landscape, Business Insider named him one of Asia’s Top 10 Innovative Investors in 2020 — a testament to his belief that entrepreneurship can change lives, communities, and economies.

 

Experience

• Co-Founder & Global General Partner, SparkLabs Group (Korea, U.S., Australia, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia)

• CEO, Innotive

• CEO, Nexonova

• Head of Portal Web Service Division, Nexon

 

Education

• Executive Management Program, Stanford University

• M.S. in Life Sciences, KAIST

• B.S. in Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University