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PEAK UP is a startup offering a campus life platform tailored for American college students. CEO Jeongwoo Lee (32) founded the company in January 2024.
“PEAK UP is an AI-powered integrated community platform that connects campus life with career readiness for U.S. college students, helping them take their first steps toward success,” Lee explains. "We provide innovative services that support students in managing their academics, building networks, and exploring career paths—all in one place.”
PEAK UP is a platform aimed at making life on U.S. college campuses more convenient and efficient for students. The platform brings together essential tools for university life: a private student-only community, schedule and course information management, and corporate connections. Since its official launch in February 2025, PEAK UP has focused on three core campuses: UC Berkeley, UCLA, and Stanford University. It currently boasts approximately 400 users.
In the future, PEAK UP aims to evolve beyond a simple information-sharing platform into a full-fledged bridge between college life and career development. Central to this goal is the development of an AI-powered “Personalized Career Roadmap. This technology analyzes users’ career aspirations and university activity data to recommend tailored milestones and areas for improvement, essentially acting as a virtual career coach.
“In the U.S., platforms like Facebook, Reddit, and Discord offer general communities, but there’s a lack of platforms designed exclusively for college students,” Lee points out. “And although services like LinkedIn and Handshake exist for job seekers, more than half of U.S. students say they’re dissatisfied with the support they get. For instance, many Computer Science students are unsure which classes or projects to take to land a job at companies like Google. Recruiters also struggle to identify strong candidates through traditional campus recruiting. PEAK UP addresses these issues by combining a university-exclusive community with AI-powered guidance. Offering customized solutions differentiates us from existing platforms."
The company’s marketing strategy has two main tracks: user acquisition and corporate partnerships. To reach talented students, PEAK UP sponsors U.S. university clubs and academic organizations, providing financial support in exchange for promotion. This creates a win-win situation where student groups receive operating funds, while companies can run Gen Z-focused promotions or product tests through PEAK UP. Having finalized systemization through companies connected to the founder’s network, PEAK UP plans to expand its services to local U.S. businesses later this year.
"We've begun discussions with investors for seed funding," Lee states. "Through our POC (Proof of Concept) in the first half of the year, we've confirmed strong talent inflow and interest from Gen Z. As we prepare for the new academic year starting in August, investment is critical for securing a strong foothold in the U.S. market.” We plan to rapidly grow PEAK UP through this investment."
How did CEO Lee embark on his entrepreneurial journey? "Last year, while operating a coffee chat service connecting highly educated individuals with companies, I realized the value of a talent database," he recalls. "After organizing networking events in Silicon Valley, I determined that securing talent, starting with university students, would be advantageous in the long term; consequently, I pivoted to our current service model. Funding for PEAK UP has come from government-backed programs like the Youth Startup Academy, Kyung Hee University Campus Town, and Orange Planet."
Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey, Lee says, “There’s genuine fulfillment in seeing people actively use and benefit from a service I created. When I saw UCLA students discovering PEAK UP through Meta ads and actually using it, I felt a deep sense of reward, and it was a clear sign that there was real demand for what we were building.”
Regarding future plans, Lee states, "We aim to reach 3,000 users and secure seed funding by the end of this year. With the new academic year beginning in August, we’re focusing our efforts on promoting PEAK UP at UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA. Ultimately, we hope to establish PEAK UP as an essential platform for every U.S. college student.”
Established: January 2024
Core Business: Campus life platform for U.S. college students
Key Achievements: Launched in February 2025, Secured 400 users at UC Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA, Achieved 57 million KRW in revenue, Selected for 2024 Youth Startup Academy, Selected for 2024 Orange Planet Garden, Selected for 2025 Strong Small Business Global Program, Selected as a resident company for 2025 Kyung Hee University Campus Town
reporter jinho lee
jinho2323@hankyung.com
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