[Interview] The Essence of Entrepreneurship at Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab (Part 3)

 When I first learned several years ago that Mondragon University had established a LEINN Seoul Lab, I was intensely curious. I wondered how it differed from traditional higher education in Korea and what graduates would actually do after completing the program. Sitting down with Coach Yena Lee at LEINN Seoul Lab, one central theme kept surfacing: ‘entrepreneurship’. For those who yearn to make a tangible difference in society, LEINN Seoul Lab provides the training ground to turn their aspirations into reality.

This article is the third and concluding segment of our interview with Coach Yena Lee.

 

Leinners in action at the LEINN Seoul Lab (Photo courtesy of Mondragon University LEINN Seoul Lab)

👉👉Read Part 1 First

[Interview] A University Inside Real Business: Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab (Part 1) 

👉👉Read Part 2 First

[Interview] Inside Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab: What Sets It Apart? (Part 2)

Interviewee: Yena Lee, Team Coach at Mondragon University LEINN Seoul Lab

 

Q: Are there cases where students who passed through LEINN Seoul Lab currently run active businesses? Could you share a couple of notable examples?

 

A: In our program, a cohort consists of up to 15 students who form a single team. In their very first year, they incorporate a legal entity from day one. In most cases, our cohorts establish cooperatives. Even if they do not have a fully realized business item in year one, they incorporate, operate the company, and learn by doing. Our first cohort (Cohort 1) has now graduated. These alumni have maintained their cooperative and continue their business operations. Drawing from their own transformative experiences as Leinners, they run entrepreneurship education programs for adolescents. They began this venture while still students and have continued building it post-graduation. While operations are temporarily paused as several members fulfill their mandatory military service, their project was recognized during their studies with an official commendation through an partnership with a Seoul municipal district office.

 

Graduates are not obligated to maintain the entity they incorporated in their first year. While one cooperative dissolved upon graduation, another graduate wanted to scale a project they had nurtured throughout the program. That graduate continues to run a company called IMPAKERS. IMPAKERS specializes in AI automation workflows and solutions, and the business has been demonstrating impressive commercial performance.

 

Q: Seeing graduates actively leading businesses suggests that coaches provide immense support behind the scenes.

 

A: Indeed. We currently have five team coaches on staff. Furthermore, because students incorporate and manage real legal entities, we surround them with a network of dedicated specialists. They receive professional counsel from attorneys, certified tax accountants, tech advisors, and mentors across various industries.

 

Q: For global education innovators and ecosystem builders seeking to cultivate next-generation social impact leaders, what would you identify as the single most critical element of LEINN Seoul Lab?

 

A: I believe the defining hallmark of LEINN Seoul Lab is 'Team Learning.' Applying this depth of team learning within fast-paced commercial settings can be exceptionally challenging. Yet through team learning, members develop deep mutual understanding and build a collaborative culture where everyone grows together. Crucially, this is not team learning merely for camaraderie or abstract study; it is centered on the practical question: "How can we collectively achieve better outcomes?" When team learning aligns around real execution, remarkable synergy occurs. It is demanding, and it requires significant time and energy.

 

Because our students are peers and start unconstrained by rigid corporate hierarchies, they begin in an open environment. My hope is that as this collaborative capacity becomes internalized and carried into actual business organizations, we can help build workplaces that are healthier and far more engaging.

 

Understanding cooperatives theoretically does not automatically make one succeed in managing them. What truly matters is mastering the practice of cooperation: how to collaborate effectively to deliver shared outcomes within an organization that has a distinct, democratic governance structure. To preserve an organization's social mission while ensuring financial viability, you need people who know how to cooperate. I firmly believe LEINN equips young generations with this capacity. If young leaders internalize this before stepping into society, they can exercise empathetic leadership, transform organizational cultures, and plant vital seeds wherever they go.

 

Furthermore, evaluation is never a one-way top-down grading system; it is driven by 360-degree peer assessments. Peers evaluate individual and collective outcomes to determine marks. While rigorous and emotionally demanding, the feedback exchanged throughout this process is invaluable. In adult life, genuine, constructive feedback is rare. Through this rigorous reflection, Leinners examine themselves, evaluate their teams, and experience rapid growth in a short time. If these reflective feedback loops can be practiced in wider workplaces, transformative change will follow.

 

Q: What message would you like to share with aspiring changemakers, and with the institutions seeking to nurture them?

 

A: 'Entrepreneurship' is our core keyword. However, I do not believe entrepreneurship is demonstrated solely by founding a startup. To me, entrepreneurship is defined by bias toward action and the audacity to depart from conventional tracks. Choosing an unconventional path like LEINN is itself the beginning of entrepreneurship.

 

The same applies to changemakers. Those who drive change in their own lives, their communities, and the world do not need to be figures like Steve Jobs or Elon Musk. Any clear desire to create positive change is fundamentally entrepreneurial, and LEINN serves as a basic training ground to build that muscle.

 

I also urge organizations and institutions seeking to foster changemakers to adopt a coaching mindset. Rather than prematurely evaluating or trying to mold young people into rigid templates, we must open up possibilities. Experienced leaders and institutions often impose strict KPIs, which can inadvertently become constraints that derail youth from the core essence of changemaking. At the same time, it is difficult for young people to carve out autonomous spaces entirely on their own. I hope established institutions with resources and experienced leaders will focus on creating environments that grant youth the freedom to experiment and lead.

 

The journey continues in Part 4, featuring direct interviews with current Leinners at the Seoul Lab.

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Do you have questions about Mondragon University’s LEINN Seoul Lab?

 

We value your curiosity. If you have questions about the LEINN Seoul Lab, please send them to [Email Address]. We will gather your inquiries and address them in a follow-up interview.