Why Korean Founders Struggle at International Networking Events
The barrier is rarely discussed in market-entry analysis, but it is one of the first places cross-border readiness becomes visible.
Saint Clair Market Intelligence | February 2026
Korean founders entering overseas markets encounter a practical barrier that market-entry analysis tends to overlook: the standing networking format that dominates Western business environments. Korean business culture builds relationships through seated meetings — over coffee, meals, and evening gatherings. European and American startup ecosystems form connections through fluid, standing conversations at conferences and industry events. Korean founders unfamiliar with this format often default to behaviours that undermine their own credibility — not because of cultural difference, but because the skill has not yet been developed. This is an operational capability gap, and it is one worth closing.
Two Cultures of Connection
Korean business culture operates, quite literally, sitting down. Meetings unfold over tea and meals. Relationships deepen through extended time together, frequently outside working hours, often accompanied by alcohol. Business cards carry ceremonial weight — presented formally, received with both hands, placed visibly on the table throughout the meeting. Within the Korean business ecosystem, these protocols work well. They signal respect, establish hierarchy, and create the conditions for trust.
Western conferences, startup events, and investor gatherings operate on a different rhythm. Conversations happen standing, in motion. Groups form around a shared topic or introduction, dissolve after a few minutes, and reconstitute elsewhere. Relationships develop through brief exchanges that may or may not lead to follow-up. Business cards, if they appear at all, emerge late in a conversation — and many Western professionals have stopped carrying them entirely, preferring to connect on LinkedIn during or after the event.
The difficulty Korean founders experience in this environment is not, fundamentally, a matter of incompatible cultures. It is a matter of unfamiliarity. Engaging with strangers in unstructured, standing settings is a skill that Korean business culture has had less occasion to develop. The format itself is still maturing domestically. When Korean founders enter these environments without preparation, the discomfort shows.
Where It Goes Wrong
Two patterns appear with uncomfortable regularity, and neither constitutes sophisticated business behaviour in any culture.
The first is the interruption. A young Korean founder spots someone they wish to meet — a potential investor, an industry figure — already engaged in conversation. Rather than waiting for a natural opening, they step in, extend a business card, deliver a thirty-second pitch, and move on. This is not a Korean business norm being misapplied abroad. Interrupting conversations is considered rude in Korean settings as well. It is simply poor execution — aggressive card distribution mistaken for relationship-building.
The second is the monologue. Three professionals stand at a cocktail table. The Korean founder launches into a formal self-introduction: company name, title, the purpose of their attendance. The European responds with a polite acknowledgement: “I see. OK.” Silence follows. The Korean participant may feel they have completed an appropriate introduction. The European was waiting for a conversation to begin. A monologue — however well-structured — is not networking in any professional culture. The basic bidirectional mechanism of conversation was missing.
The Underlying Mechanics
What Western networking environments actually reward — and this applies broadly across the American and European startup ecosystems — is a pattern Korean founders can learn, because it is a skill, not an instinct.
Interaction begins with eye contact and a greeting. Small talk establishes context: the event itself, mutual connections, a shared sector, a general observation about the market. This is not empty formality. It is the mechanism by which two strangers assess whether a longer conversation would be mutually worthwhile.
Questions tend to be open-ended. Conversation progresses through enquiry that invites substantive response — not binary questions that close it down. The exchange moves back and forth. Both sides contribute. Relevance emerges organically or it does not.
Business cards, where they still exist, appear after the conversation has demonstrated mutual value — not before it has begun. Value exchange, not title exchange, is what establishes a professional relationship. European investors and business partners form their impressions of a founder through the quality of the conversation, not through the seniority printed on a card.
This is not a peculiarly Western practice. It is the standard in internationally oriented professional environments everywhere. Korean founders entering global markets face this capability gap alongside the more commonly discussed ones — English proficiency, regulatory knowledge, market positioning. The difference is that this one becomes visible immediately, and first impressions in these settings tend to be lasting.
The Broader Signal
Founders who handle international networking well tend to demonstrate broader adaptability. The ability to read an unfamiliar professional context and adjust accordingly — without abandoning who you are — is a transferable skill. It extends well beyond cocktail receptions into the operational adjustments that overseas market entry demands: communication cadences, decision-making timelines, stakeholder expectations.
Korean business culture brings genuine strengths to international settings — depth of relationship, seriousness of commitment, respect for institutional process. These do not diminish in value when they cross borders. But they do not automatically translate, either. The founder who can maintain Korean protocols in Seoul and operate fluently in a standing-format London reception is demonstrating something that investors and partners notice: the bicultural capability that cross-border success requires.
A note for the other side of the table. The behaviours described here — the interrupted conversation, the formal monologue — are not indicators of a founder’s substance. They are indicators of unfamiliarity with a format. The qualities that make Korean business relationships exceptionally durable — seriousness of commitment, depth of preparation, loyalty to partnerships — do not disappear because they failed to surface at a drinks reception. The experienced cross-border operator recognises this, and invests the additional time and care to connect beyond the first impression. This is what navigating the corridor really means. It is not understanding and mimicking cultural patterns — it is recognising them for what they are, parts of a counterpart’s own culture, and working with them respectfully and effectively.
Sources: Saint Clair advisory experience, European and Asian startup ecosystems, 2016–2026
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment or business advice. All decisions should be made based on independent research and consultation with qualified advisors.
About Saint Clair – Advisory & Capital: Saint Clair bridges European and Asian investment ecosystems through our Capital Diplomacy framework. Saint Clair Global supports Asian technology companies with European market entry, partnership development, and cross-border expansion. Since 2016, we have specialised in navigating the institutional distance between Asia and Europe.
Learn more: saintclair.sg | Contact: contact@saintclair.sg