Reading Group That Overcame COVID-19 with a Reverse Approach... Focused on Intellectual Solidarity

[Solution Report] Their Startup and Future <15> Yoon Sooyoung, CEO of Trevari
Community Service Based on Book Clubs... Accumulated Members from 20s to 60s Reach 50,000

CEO Yoon Soo-young

"Because of COVID-19, we are not suddenly stopping offline services and focusing only on online. What we need to do now is to create good services and communities to build the internal strength to grow once the COVID situation is over," said Yoon Soo-young, CEO of Trevari, in the era of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). While many believe that non-face-to-face (untact) is the only way to survive, Yoon had a different view. Although COVID-19 accelerated the 'digital transformation,' it did not lead to unpredictable changes, so he judged that focusing on the core of the service is more important. Trevari, a startup operating a community service based on book clubs, centers on 'reading, writing, conversing, and getting closer.' For this, face-to-face interaction is indispensable. On the 19th, at Trevari Gangnam Ajit in Yeoksam-dong, Seoul, we listened to his story about navigating the COVID-19 era.

CEO Yoon said, "Untact services have good responses, but Trevari focuses on offline business," adding, "Before COVID, there were clubs focused on 'getting closer,' but now intellectual conversations and the acts of reading and writing have a greater impact on satisfaction." Trevari users participate in paid book clubs, read books, write book reports, and hold regular monthly meetings. Although many processes occur online, the offline meeting once a month is considered the most important experience for participants. To support this, meeting places called 'Ajit' have been established in Gangnam and Jongno. During the peak of COVID-19 spread this year, offline meetings could not be held, but with the belief that 'connections are needed even 10 or 20 years later,' CEO Yoon and Trevari could not give up offline in the COVID era.

Founded in 2015, Trevari is the first community platform to develop book clubs as a business model. CEO Yoon said, "It is rare for a business model to emerge first in Korea, and Trevari's model is hard to find even in the global market." This reflects Yoon’s experience. He joined Daum as the last public recruitment employee and experienced the merger process of Daum and Kakao. Internet business was rapidly shifting to mobile, and socially, the Sewol ferry disaster shocked the entire nation. Yoon said, "When doing business, I wanted to sell something that helps the world," adding, "I thought educational aspects, personal updating methods, and connection methods were important in our society at this time." Then he thought of book clubs. He explained, "Book clubs are fun but hard to operate, often splitting up, and securing diversity among members was not easy," adding, "I thought that approaching it as a business with platform functions would allow meeting diverse people and relatively increase sustainability."

His business model was established through user participation. Currently, about 400 book clubs on 200 topics are held at Trevari, with about 6,000 members ranging from their 20s to 60s participating. The cumulative membership reaches 50,000, and the re-registration rate before COVID-19 exceeded 50%. Each club is led by experts related to the topic who facilitate discussions. Former Naver CEO Kim Sang-heon and former prosecutor Lee Young-joo have served as club leaders, attracting attention. To recruit reputable club leaders, CEO Yoon made countless proposals and meetings. He said, "The success rate was not high, but I stepped up to the plate many times," adding, "I was lucky to receive a lot of support."

While valuing offline, Trevari also faces the challenge of continuously advancing its online services. Long-term plans include overseas expansion. CEO Yoon said, "We will launch an app in the first half of next year so that Trevari’s services can be enjoyed on mobile, and we will also find ways to spread content that stays within the meetings, such as users’ reading experiences," adding, "We are also considering services in global mega cities like Tokyo and Singapore."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.