EY Hanyoung Successfully Concludes 7th University Student Business Plan Competition

"EY Hanyoung-JA Growth to Professional"

Global accounting and consulting firm EY Hanyoung announced that it has successfully concluded the university student business plan competition, "EY Hanyoung-JA Growth to Professional," which brought together EY Hanyoung employees and university students interested in entrepreneurship and consulting.

Now in its seventh year, EY Hanyoung-JA Growth to Professional is an annual social contribution program co-hosted by EY Hanyoung and the global youth education non-profit organization JA Korea. As of this year, a cumulative total of 511 university students and 732 EY Hanyoung employees have participated in the competition, establishing it as EY Hanyoung's flagship social contribution program.

A total of 107 current accountants and consultants from EY Hanyoung, including those from its consulting division EY Consulting, its strategy and financial advisory division EY-Parthenon, as well as audit and tax departments, participated on a pro bono basis. Serving as mentors, instructors, judges, and operational supporters, the employees provided hands-on know-how to the student participants, covering topics such as writing business plans, presentation skills, and logical thinking, supporting their professional growth.

Amid the largest number of applicants to date, 46 university students were ultimately selected to participate in a five-week-long program. This year, in particular, an offline team building workshop was held to strengthen collaboration among participants, resulting in a 98% satisfaction rate according to participant feedback surveys.

The student participants chose one of three fields—lifestyle, learning and work innovation, or sustainable society and community—and planned either new businesses or the advancement of existing businesses, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) technology to solve problems or create new value. Of the 10 teams, 6 advanced to the finals after passing the preliminary round and competed in the final stage.

At the final competition held at the EY Hanyoung office in Parc1, Yeouido, Seoul, participants presented their business plans, which had been refined through in-depth mentoring and preliminary reviews. The judging panel, consisting of EY Hanyoung partners and Nakwhan Sung, Head of the Investment Team at D.CAMP (Banks Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs), provided in-depth feedback from the perspective of industry experts and investors, broadening the horizons of the participants.

After intense competition, the "SeeNear" team, which proposed an AI-powered platform connecting local daily labor to the elderly workforce, won the Grand Prize. The "DooGo" team, which designed an AI-based optimal route luggage storage platform, received the Excellence Award. The Grand Prize and Excellence Award-winning teams received 1.2 million won and 600,000 won in prize money, respectively.

Yongkeun Park, CEO of EY Hanyoung, explained the purpose of the event, saying, "We have continued EY Hanyoung-JA Growth to Professional every year so that future generations can build their career capabilities and envision their own futures." He added, "I hope this competition has provided university students with a meaningful platform for challenge and growth. EY Hanyoung will continue to pursue activities that create social value and foster future talent."

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