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- Opinions on the bass
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It’s been two years already since I joined in the summer of 2020. Looking back, it was almost unheard of in Korea for a VC—focused solely on helping their portfolio teams grow—to bring on a recruiter while sourcing early-stage startups. For me, it felt like being dropped into totally uncharted territory, unfamiliar and distant. To be honest, I’m still not sure about a lot of things. Even after five years in this scene, I still sometimes wonder what a startup really is, where I am, and who I am. I keep asking myself what all my experience has meant so far, and honestly, I wander around as if my life itself is a startup, not quite sure how to pull this story together—or, more importantly, if I’ve actually been doing well at it.
But thankfully, with the help of so many people along the way, what was once completely unfamiliar ground has now become at least navigable—like a trail with some signposts put up. So I'd like to start sharing a bit about the directions Base is working towards. In this post, rather than listing specific cases, I want to carefully share some of the thoughts and considerations we have in mind as we support and work through challenges with startups.
We support our portfolio companies through the steps they need to recruit well.
Everyone knows that to grow an organization, you need to bring in outstanding teammates. But when it comes to hiring, sometimes teams are strong from A to C but struggle after C, or they're confident after C but not strong enough on the earlier steps to get there—or sometimes they're just not sure where and how to start. When we first meet with founding teams, we usually kick off our discussions around these 6 long-term agendas: 1. Why this position is needed, and whether it's truly necessary; 2. Defining what ‘great talent’ means for us internally, and setting that bar; 3. Structuring how we determine fit, through formats and evaluation indicators; 4. Building a competitive compensation package and communication plan; 5. Onboarding and feedback culture; and 6. Talking about the off-boarding process, which is just as important as hiring itself. As we work through these, there’s a lot that needs to be synced on every point. More than simply 'replacing' a role or resource for a while, our focus is on actually going through A to Z together, and flexibly aligning to the company’s growth and philosophy.
We call it 'recruiting', but it really means 'branding'
Ultimately, the goal for our founding teams is to build a positive cycle where great talent comes to them thanks to strong branding. Most people think the mission is complete once the tough recruiting process ends and a position is filled, but helping new colleagues take root in the company and stay engaged—retention—is perhaps even more important than hiring itself. We work closely with each team, discussing in detail what skills and qualities they want new hires to bring, tailored to their current needs. At the same time, we define why top talent should join us, and how our company can add value and opportunity to their careers.
Even after someone joins, it’s important to keep checking whether our expectations and assumptions actually match up, and to course-correct together along the way. For real, sustainable growth, we actively think about how to support each member and how to keep them motivated both internally and externally. Our approach is about building each team’s unique identity for the long term through branding—not just focusing on short-term recruitment.
We're building a strong 'network' centered around Base.
From C-level leaders to new grads, and across different industries and roles, we hear all kinds of stories about people figuring out their career paths. These career questions go beyond just 'moving to a team with better experience and opportunities', but also include exploring the potential to expand one's domain and responsibilities. Throughout this process, Base shares all the insight and knowledge we've gathered as a VC.
Instead of simply assuming everyone wants to change jobs and only suggesting options within those boundaries, we try to match people with the best possible opportunities and experiences based on their current priorities, so they can make the right next move. When the timing and chemistry are just right, sometimes we're able to bring top talent to our portfolio teams, or we’re able to actively encourage someone to start their own business—and we'd like to keep sparking these connections going forward.
Base was founded as a VC to support startup success. While we do what a VC does—invest capital, and often measure results through things like company value—my view of a startup's success is a little different. I think it's just as important, from the perspective of team members, whether these companies were 'great teams to be part of while having meaningful experiences' or 'teams that helped make people view startups more positively.' No matter how quickly a team dominates the market by solving important problems, if it's not genuinely a good place to work for its people, then to me, the outcome doesn't really mean success. That's why, if I could ask just one thing of everyone working with us—it’s this: The choice to go from zero to one will be tougher than you expect, but above all, I hope we can enjoy each moment as we grow together, and have fun building each other up along the way.
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