Beiersdorf has announced plans to establish an innovation hub, sponsored by Nivea, for the next generation of Korean beauty disrupters in Seoul. 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 skincare 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.”
 
 
 
PHOTO: The Beiersdorf & WeWork team (left to right): Kevin Lee (WeWork), Endrik Hasemann (Beiersdorf), Matthew Shampine (WeWork), Ralph Gusko (Beiersdorf), Alicia Song (WeWork), Hellynn Jung (WeWork) and Jacek Brozda (Beiersdorf)