Over the past five years, my collaboration with Peter (Seok Jung) has been an incredible journey. It all started during the COVID-19 pandemic when I built CloudySpot, a contactless solution that King’s Bakery has been using ever since. Every year, I reconnect with Peter to renew our partnership, but this time, things took a different turn.

When we met at King’s Bakery, Ballygunge, Peter shared his vision—Korean businesses are eager to expand into India, and Indian entrepreneurs are equally interested in collaborating with Korean partners. That’s when the idea of Korindia was born—an initiative to foster cross-border business collaborations and cultural exchanges.

The Birth of Korindia

With my experience in building businesses and communities, I quickly got started. I designed the Korindia logo, drafted a roadmap, and created an online group. In just 2-3 days, the response was overwhelming, with 200+ members joining, reaffirming the need for such a platform.

To take things to the next level, we decided to host our first meetup, and within a short span of 1.5 weeks, we conceptualized and organized Korindia Connect, our first in-person networking event.

The First Korindia Connect Meetup

On 15th December, 2024, we hosted Korindia Connect at The Serra Rooftop Cafe (Banquet Hall), Sector V, New Town, from 03:00 PM to 07:00 PM.

The event focused on:

• India-Korea business relations – Exploring growth opportunities between the two countries.
• Accessing the Korean market – Understanding market entry strategies for Indian businesses.
• Leveraging international opportunities – Tapping into the growing trends in India-Korea partnerships.
• Networking over refreshments – Encouraging valuable business connections.

Initially, we aimed for 18-20 attendees, but the enthusiasm exceeded our expectations. We ended up with 30 registrations, and by the time the event started, we had 40 attendees, including several walk-ins.

Event Execution & Highlights

Despite having only a week to plan, everything fell into place perfectly. We secured sponsors, designed promotional standees, and ensured every detail was covered.

A few notable highlights from the event:

• Guest Speaker: We had the honor of hosting Subhashis Dutt, founder of the Bengal Business Council, who shared valuable insights on business expansion.
• Keynote Speakers: Peter and Noel Ham, founder of Daebak Beauty, spoke about their experiences in building cross-border ventures and answered insightful questions from the audience.
• Introductory Session: Each participant had the chance to introduce themselves and their business goals, leading to meaningful connections.
• Networking: The event concluded with engaging conversations over refreshments, where attendees discussed potential collaborations.

I co-hosted the event with my friend Aldrin, and it was truly rewarding to see the energy and enthusiasm from all participants.

Looking Back & Moving Forward

From ideation to execution in such a short time, Korindia Connect proved to be a massive success. What started as a casual discussion at King’s Bakery evolved into a thriving community and a successful networking platform.

Looking back, I realize how every small decision and effort made a significant impact in bringing this vision to life. Korindia is just getting started, and I’m excited to see where it leads as we continue to strengthen India-Korea ties.

Here’s to the beginning of something incredible!