Blueprint Ventures

SkinSeoul has successfully completed its second funding round and being selected for TIPS, Korea’s largest government grant program from the Korean government, ensuring we have sufficient capital to steadily focus on our business. Despite a challenging investment market, we are fortunate to have exceeded the ambitious targets we set in April last year, achieving them both sooner and at a higher level than originally—faster and higher than we originally planned. While this is an encouraging start, it’s too soon to celebrate. Moving forward, we will return to a Day-1 mindset, refocus, and sprint forward once again. Since our launch in June 2024, SkinSeoul has been growing at an explosive pace over the past six months: 🚀 Achieved the largest selection of K-beauty skincare products worldwide 🚀 Rapidly validated our MVP hypothesis through organic growth with minimal marketing costs 🚀 Successfully secured Pre-Seed funding from venture capital firms in Korea, Singapore, and the U.S., establishing a global network 🚀 Launched in four countries: the U.S., Australia, Singapore, and Malaysia 🚀 Selected for TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) by the Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups 🚀 Onboarded outstanding team members from seven different countries I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to our leadership team—COO Ingo Wey, CTO Minchul—and our SKINSEOUL team for their dedication, and tireless efforts that have been instrumental to our achievement so far. And to our new investors, with special recognition to Blueprint Ventures - Huiting K., Adrian Ho who led this round, and heartfelt thank you to 500 Global - Min Kim, Blaire Eunhae Shin who believe in our vision and team, and have invested in us, we sincerely express our gratitude. We will demonstrate our appreciation through our results. Moving forward, we will sharpen our focus on customers, immerse ourselves fully, and execute at supersonic speed to achieve our next goals. Thank you all for your continued support!

3 minutes and 3 seconds. That's all it takes to learn from the best investor on why Brand is the most important driver of business value. If you're debating if, why or how investing in Brand building is right for your company, look no further than this compilation of Warren Buffett quotes from interviews over the last 50 years on why investing in Brand is the single most important thing you can do. While in the day-to-day of operating a company, it can seem foolish to invest in this mythical, hard-to-define thing called "Brand". However, if we listen to the most successful judge of fundamental business asset value over the last century, it's clear that a strong Brand is the most important thing. Here are the 5 topics, the 5 takeaways and the best quotes from the video 5 Topics: 1. Why Brand is the most important moat  2. Why Brand is the most important driver of business value,  3. The tangible benefits of a strong Brand in terms of pricing power,  4. Maintaining margin and shelf space in retailers, and  5. How a strong Brand is the only thing that can fend of inevitable competition. 5 Takeaways: 1. Brands are Moats 2. Single Most important thing he looks for are defensible Moats 3. The main Moat is Owning a Position in the consumer's Mind 4. A durable moat, driven by a strong Brand enables   a) sustainable Pricing Power (AKA the ability to not need to discount)  b) the best defense against competition   c) leverage in the Brand <> retailer relationship  5. Ultimately, Brand is the best driver of durable Profits The Best Quotes: On Brand: 1. "Brands are moats"  2. "A strong Brand is really potent stuff." 3. "[The Moat] can be because...of its position in the consumer's mind...that it has this moat around it." 4. "So you've got to protect a Brand, you've got to enhance it in every way. You've got to get a promise in people's minds that gets delivered that way." On the Importance of Moats:  1. "What we're trying to do is we're trying to find a business with a wide and long lasting moat around it, protecting a terrific economic castle."  2. "In essence, that's what business is all about." On Brand and Pricing Power: 1. "The single-most important decision in evaluating a business is pricing power. If you've got the power to raise prices without losing business to a competitor, you've got a very good business."  2. “You can measure the strength of a business over time by the agony they go through in determining whether a price increase can be sustained.” 3. "It's not a great business when you have to have a prayer session before you raise your prices a penny." On Brand as defense against competition from other Brands and retailers: 1. "The Brand has to stand for something in the consumer's mind because, in the end, the retailer may want to shift to a house Brand." 2. "I remember when Sam Walton sent me the first six-pack of Sam's Cola 20 years ago. And believe me, Walmart has plenty of power, but so does Coca Cola and the Brand" #brand

When I first started Blueprint Ventures I thought all I needed was a landing page and website that people could see in order to know that we were a real fund (not a branding agency! 😂 ). I thought that most of our narrative would be understood from our operating experiences, the conversations we had with founders and investors and that the website wasn't all that important. I basically did the exact opposite of what I tell our founders - that EVERYTHING leaves an impression and every touch point is an opportunity to tell your story, sell the experience and convert someone to your point of view. After several LPs pointed out that our site didn't match the dynamism and energy they felt when talking to us - that we didn't look like a consumer fund - that hit home! We were selling ourselves short by not paying enough attention to every single Blueprint Ventures touchpoint we had. So we have now re-launched our fresh new site with a style, character and energy that best reflects what Blueprint is and what we are trying to do. Thank you to the Lovework Studio team for such an amazing job! You guys have really delivered to a T, despite a context-heavy and imperfect brief. You have so perfectly captured our ethos, what we stand for and what we hope to achieve! You are amazing! Check out our fresh digs here! www.blueprint.vc

I am thrilled to share that I'll be joining as a judge, alongside a host of other VC investors in the ecosystem, for the upcoming Pitch Vault Startup Competition! #PitchVaultStartupCompetition #startups #meetventures #blueprintventures To founders, this is your chance to step into the spotlight and showcase your innovative brilliance at Pitch Vault as one of Asia's emerging startups. Get ready to pitch your next big idea and unlock high-visibility opportunities for growth and success. Join this journey, if you haven't already - Finalists have the chance to win equity-free prizes of up to 45,000 SGD as well as up to 700,000 USD worth of Startup Perks to fuel your venture towards success. Apply for Pitch Vault Startup Competition by 31st May 2024:  https://lnkd.in/g3ZW7Yb7

The BoF Brand Magic Index is the fashion industry’s most rigorous brand measurement tool, developed by BoF Insights and powered by cutting-edge AI technology from Quilt.AI. The Index identifies fashion's most magical brands by assessing how effective they are in finding alignment, creating engagement and driving intent with customers. The BoF Brand Magic Matrix provides further insight into how effectively brands balance the timelessness of their identity with the timeliness of the culture. Magical Brands High Alignment, High Engagement ▪️ Leading the zeitgeist and captivated my audiences without compromising their underlying essence. ▪️ Heavyweights like Dior, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Calvin Klein and Hermès appear here — but also smaller brands like Jacquemus, Maison Margiela and Miu Miu due to the clarity of their identity and proven ability to create cultural moments. Buzzy Brands: Low Alignment, High Engagement ▪️ Driving conversation (and noise) but sometimes with a muddled identity that is not aligned with customers. ▪️ Gucci, Celine, Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger generate high engagement from their followers but struggle to align across all the customer groups they reach. Sleepy Brands: High Alignment, Low Engagement ▪️ Nurturing a loyal but sometimes niche customer base that understands the brand even if the brand itself does not inspire much engagement. ▪️ Tod’s, Dolce & Gabbana and Ferragamo fly under the radar with muted identities. Lost Brands: Low Alignment, Low Engagement ▪️ Lacking a cohesive identity while also failing to generate meaningful engagement. ▪️ This often indicates they’re undergoing a strategic turnaround, such as Burberry, or are in a period of creative leadership transition, such as Givenchy. Get your free sample report here https://bit.ly/3WSqmrN

NativeX và National Geographic Learning hợp tác chiến lược phát triển giáo trình học tiếng Anh online cho người đi làm - Người Việt học tiếng Anh từ rất sớm nhưng không sử dụng được tiếng Anh bởi giáo trình học đa số THIẾU TÍNH THỰC TIỄN và HẠN CHẾ trong nội dung. - Trước thực trạng này, NativeX Edtech và National Geographic Learning đã hợp tác chiến lược nhằm cải tiến và nâng cấp để tạo ra một giáo trình tiếng Anh online cho người đi làm mang tính đột phá với đa dạng nội dung phù hợp với thời đại mới và có tính thực tiễn cao nhất để người học có thể áp dụng ngay vào bất cứ tình huống nào trong thực tế. - “Sứ mệnh của chúng tôi là mang cả thế giới vào trong lớp học và đưa lớp học ra ngoài cuộc sống. NativeX được thiết kế nhằm tăng hiệu quả học tập và khả năng ghi nhớ, giúp người học tiếp thu tiếng Anh một cách nhanh chóng, tự tin hơn, từ đó mở ra nhiều cơ hội thăng tiến hơn trong công việc.” - Mr Michael Cahill - Giám đốc cấp cao National Geographic Learning ____________________ NativeX and National Geographic Learning partner strategically to develop online English language learning curriculum for working professionals. - Vietnamese individuals start learning English at an early age but struggle to use the language effectively due to the lack of practicality and limitations in the instructional content. - In response to this issue, NativeX Edtech and National Geographic Learning have collaborated strategically to enhance and upgrade the online English language curriculum for working professionals. The curriculum aims to be innovative, with diverse and relevant content that reflects the modern era and provides highly practical materials for learners to apply in real-life situations. - "Our mission is to bring the world into the classroom and take the classroom out into real life. NativeX is designed to enhance learning efficiency and retention, enabling learners to grasp English quickly and confidently, thereby opening up greater opportunities for career advancement." - Mr. Michael Cahill, Senior Director at National Geographic Learning. Visit our website: nativex.edu.vn

NativeX và National Geographic Learning hợp tác chiến lược phát triển giáo trình học tiếng Anh online cho người đi làm - Người Việt học tiếng Anh từ rất sớm nhưng không sử dụng được tiếng Anh bởi giáo trình học đa số THIẾU TÍNH THỰC TIỄN và HẠN CHẾ trong nội dung. - Trước thực trạng này, NativeX Edtech và National Geographic Learning đã hợp tác chiến lược nhằm cải tiến và nâng cấp để tạo ra một giáo trình tiếng Anh online cho người đi làm mang tính đột phá với đa dạng nội dung phù hợp với thời đại mới và có tính thực tiễn cao nhất để người học có thể áp dụng ngay vào bất cứ tình huống nào trong thực tế. - “Sứ mệnh của chúng tôi là mang cả thế giới vào trong lớp học và đưa lớp học ra ngoài cuộc sống. NativeX được thiết kế nhằm tăng hiệu quả học tập và khả năng ghi nhớ, giúp người học tiếp thu tiếng Anh một cách nhanh chóng, tự tin hơn, từ đó mở ra nhiều cơ hội thăng tiến hơn trong công việc.” - Mr Michael Cahill - Giám đốc cấp cao National Geographic Learning ____________________ NativeX and National Geographic Learning partner strategically to develop online English language learning curriculum for working professionals. - Vietnamese individuals start learning English at an early age but struggle to use the language effectively due to the lack of practicality and limitations in the instructional content. - In response to this issue, NativeX Edtech and National Geographic Learning have collaborated strategically to enhance and upgrade the online English language curriculum for working professionals. The curriculum aims to be innovative, with diverse and relevant content that reflects the modern era and provides highly practical materials for learners to apply in real-life situations. - "Our mission is to bring the world into the classroom and take the classroom out into real life. NativeX is designed to enhance learning efficiency and retention, enabling learners to grasp English quickly and confidently, thereby opening up greater opportunities for career advancement." - Mr. Michael Cahill, Senior Director at National Geographic Learning. Visit our website: nativex.edu.vn