Hamburg, December 3, 2018 – Beiersdorf announces plans to establish an innovation hub for the next
generation of Korean beauty disruptors in Seoul. The innovation hub will be
sponsored by NIVEA. Selected startups from South Korea will receive exclusive
access to Beiersdorf’s global market reach and leading expertise in the skin
care industry. The innovation hub will start the selection process for the
first cohort in the first quarter 2019.
“Many companies build
accelerators in their home country. We want to be where the future of skin care
begins. We are embracing the Korean ecosystem because it is a frontrunner in beauty
and digital technologies,” said Ralph Gusko, Beiersdorf Board Member for
Brands, Research & Development, and the Asia Pacific region.
Beiersdorf will offer a
dedicated team for startup collaboration and acceleration which will be the
interface to the company’s senior executives from Marketing, Sales, Digital,
Supply Chain, and Research & Development. “At Beiersdorf, we believe in
partnership. Our foundation and global success is based on close collaboration
with partners in the skin care market,” stated Endrik Hasemann, General Manager
Beiersdorf Korea. “Today, we want to help Korean entrepreneurs build their
ideas and open the doors to the global market.”
For this purpose,
Beiersdorf and WeWork formed a strategic partnership in South Korea. The innovation
hub will be located within the WeWork co-working space in Seoul’s vibrant
Hongdae district, a hotspot location for beauty and fashion trends. As part of
this collaboration, WeWork will leverage its large community to strengthen
Beiersdorf’s access to the startup ecosystem.
“WeWork is happy to
collaborate with Beiersdorf on this exciting project. This partnership will add
to our continuous effort in building a creative and innovative community that
fosters diverse creators in Korea,” said Matthew Shampine, General Manager of
WeWork Korea. “Based on our mutual belief that innovation originates in strong
collaboration, we are excited to provide opportunities and resources to
startups in the beauty industry together with Beiersdorf.”