[Incheon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation Startup CEOs of 2025 Youth Global Launchpad Program] Sun ho Hong, CEO of Hever

Hever, Operating an interest-based community platform that bridges online and offline worlds

-Facilitating a seamless transition from online hobby and interest groups to authentic, real-world offline activities

-Evolving the service model by localizing innovative Korean community trends to fit the unique cultural landscape of Vietnam

Hever is a community platform with a mission to connect people through shared interests and bridge the gap between online interaction and offline engagement. Founded by CEO Sun ho Hong (21), the company has evolved its service model by reimagining Korean community trends to fit the local Vietnamese cultural landscape.

Hever enables users to form hobby and interest-based groups online that naturally transition into real-world activities. The platform fosters an ecosystem where university students can gather for diverse passions, including book clubs, fitness, fashion, cafe tours, K-pop fandoms, and startup study groups.

CEO Hong identified a significant market gap in Vietnam, while online communities thrive on social media pages and groups, they often lack sustainability, safety, and a structured system for offline connection. Hever addresses these pain points by providing a dedicated platform architecture featuring interest-based meeting systems and offline venue partnership functions.

Hever’s competitive edge lies in three key areas. First is the market vacuum; Vietnam currently lacks an integrated O2O (Online-to-Offline) community platform focused on hobbies. Second is the high suitability for Vietnam's Gen Z, who are digitally native, eager for new social connections, and highly receptive to K-lifestyle and taste-based cultures. Finally, Hever employs a scalable operating model characterized by low fixed costs and a growth strategy fueled by offline space collaborations and influencer-led ambassador programs.

To capture the market, Hever is implementing a content-based viral strategy targeting Vietnamese university students. The plan involves establishing 3 to 4 core interest communities around major universities in Ho Chi Minh City to trigger organic SNS word-of-mouth. The initial user pool is being formed through test groups of students established during the company's preliminary research phase.

Currently, Hever is focusing on generating initial user metrics based on its MVP (Minimum Viable Product). The company plans to initiate seed funding rounds once these key performance indicators (KPIs) are secured. Given the clear growth potential and monetization models of a community platform targeting Vietnam’s Gen Z, Hever expects high investor interest upon reaching its growth milestones.

Regarding future plans, CEO Hong stated, “Our immediate goal is to finalize the MVP and conduct beta testing with the university students we've interviewed. At this stage, our priority is securing meaningful data on user engagement, the number of groups created, and offline participation and retention rates.”

Status: Pre-startup phase
Core Business: Development of an interest-based community platform
Key Achievement: Selected for the Youth Global Expansion Base Project by the Incheon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (CCEI)

reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com