Hamburg, December 3, 2018 – Beiersdorf announces plans to establish an innovation hub for the next generation of Korean beauty disruptors in Seoul. The innovation hub will be sponsored by NIVEA. Selected startups from South Korea will receive exclusive access to Beiersdorf’s global market reach and leading expertise in the skin care industry. The innovation hub will start the selection process for the first cohort in the first quarter 2019.

“Many companies build accelerators in their home country. We want to be where the future of skin care begins. We are embracing the Korean ecosystem because it is a frontrunner in beauty and digital technologies,” said Ralph Gusko, Beiersdorf Board Member for Brands, Research & Development, and the Asia Pacific region.

Beiersdorf will offer a dedicated team for startup collaboration and acceleration which will be the interface to the company’s senior executives from Marketing, Sales, Digital, Supply Chain, and Research & Development. “At Beiersdorf, we believe in partnership. Our foundation and global success is based on close collaboration with partners in the skin care market,” stated Endrik Hasemann, General Manager Beiersdorf Korea. “Today, we want to help Korean entrepreneurs build their ideas and open the doors to the global market.”

For this purpose, Beiersdorf and WeWork formed a strategic partnership in South Korea. The innovation hub will be located within the WeWork co-working space in Seoul’s vibrant Hongdae district, a hotspot location for beauty and fashion trends. As part of this collaboration, WeWork will leverage its large community to strengthen Beiersdorf’s access to the startup ecosystem.

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