Unlocalized

Join Jay and Brian as we discuss Wrtn and their fast growth in Korea as one of the most popular chat storytelling apps. This episode is sponsored by Lux & Luna. Follow Lux & Luna on Instagram: https://instagram.com/luxandluna.official Visit and order on their website: https://luxandluna.com

Join us as we kick off a multi-episode arc on Naver, and discuss the origin story of Korea's largest search engine.

In this episode, Brian and Jay discuss Karrot, hyperlocal communities, and the rise of french fry meetups in Korea. -- Follow us on Instagram: https://instagram.com/unlocalizedpod

Join us as we discuss Hyundai Motor's sponsorship of the World Cup.

Join Jay and Brian as we discuss Coupang's growth in Taiwan and their international expansion. -- The information provided in this episode is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or investment advice.

Join Brian and Jay as we discuss the latest meetings between Naver and Jensen Huang and their growing partnership in the AI infrastructure space.

Jay and Brian are joined by Won Kim, former investment banking associate at Citi, to discuss AI data centers and why Korea is the next architect behind the AI Revolution.

Join Jay and Brian to discuss the Korean business Jensen Huang is visiting on his second trip to Korea in 7 months. -- Show notes: 0:00:00 Celebrity Status 0:02:30 NVIDIA's Reliance on Korean Memory Chips 0:08:40 The Samgyeopsal Summit 0:10:30 Physical AI and the Future of Robotics 0:19:46 The Korean Stock Market Boom 0:23:25 Will Korean Chipmakers Dominate Long-Term? 0:35:46 The Search for a Glob...

In this episode, Brian and Jay dive into the explosive growth of pop-up stores in South Korea, particularly in Seoul's Seongsu district. We explore the cultural drivers behind this trend, such as 'kidult' culture and the 'feel economy,' analyze the business and real estate mechanics making it possible, and debate whether experiential retail is a passing fad or the future of global commerce.

Join Jay and Brian for another episode of Unlocalized, where we are joined by guests Anna Tyan and producer Erica Choe. We discuss Chipotle upcoming first store open in Korea and the Mexican food scene broadly in Korea.

In this episode, Jay interviews Brian as we dive deep into his journey from engineering and product management at LG and Waymo to building an AI startup as a solopreneur. We explore the intersection of artificial intelligence and content creation, discussing how we can leverage tools like Claude Code to build products faster. We also share our thoughts on the realities of bootstrapping, the future...

Jay and Brian dive into the rise and potential plateau of Korea's iconic eyewear brand, Gentle Monster. We discuss our thoughts on their recent smart glass collaboration with Google, the threat of fast-growing competitors like Blue Elephant, and whether losing Blackpink's Jennie as an ambassador signals a broader decline.

In this episode, we test out a more free-flowing format as we dive into the massive global success of Samyang's Buldak ramen. We kick things off with a blind taste test between Buldak and Nongshim's Bokkeummyun before exploring whether Buldak's viral explosion was a calculated strategy or a happy accident. We also discuss the fast-paced nature of food trends, the innovator's dilemma, and what we t...

On this episode of Unlocalized, we dive into the incredible rise of SK Hynix, a South Korean memory chip manufacturer that has become a critical player in the global AI boom. We explore the company's turbulent history, from its near-collapse during the IMF crisis to its massive bet on high-bandwidth memory that positioned it as an industry leader.

In this episode, Brian and Jay explore how Korea successfully built an empire of 13,000 unmanned stores using basic technology, while Amazon's highly funded, tech-heavy Amazon Go model failed. We discuss the cultural and economic factors driving this trend, the hidden costs of theft, and whether the US micro market model is the true equivalent.

We sit down with our guest Brian Lee to discuss his unique career as a cross-cultural consultant and executive educator. We explore how we can better understand Asian markets like China and Korea, the hidden innovations in everyday things like convenience stores, and why we need to rethink our assumptions about global business. We also dive into his journey as a solo operator and the importance of...

Brian and Jay dive into the explosive growth of Mega Coffee in South Korea and analyze how they turned budget espresso into a half-billion-dollar empire. We break down their franchise wholesale business model and debate whether this hyper-dense, low-cost strategy could successfully translate to the US market. -- Show Notes: 0:00:00 Intro 0:07:31 Mega Coffee Domination 0:09:17 The Cheap Coffee Land...

On this livestreamed episode, we are joined by Anna Tyan, co-founder and product designer at Decentral AI. We dive into whether the medical tourism business depicted in Beef Season 2 is actually viable. We also talk about Anna's startup Decentral AI and why companies in regulated industries can't trust the large AI platform companies with all their data and AI usage needs. -- Show notes 0:00 Intro...

On the fourth episode of the Unlocalized Podcast, Brian and Jay speak with Esther Lee and Harris Choe, a married entrepreneurial couple who share how they built successful businesses by identifying market gaps and leveraging social media. From TV journalism to TikTok virality and gym closets to brick-and-mortar clinics, they discuss their "quality over quantity" approach to scaling and the evolvin...

In this third episode of the podcast, Brian Kim (Bumzy) shares his non-linear journey from engineering graduate to serial entrepreneur and investor. He discusses his experiences building a dental startup, grinding his way into the crypto industry and a Wall Street hedge fund, and his thesis on AI that led him to invest in physical food and beverage businesses. -- Show Notes 0:00 Introduction and t...

On the second episode of the Unlocalized Podcast, Brian and Jay interview Hannah Hyo Bin Lee, founder of Holaste and ex global BD at EO Studio, a media startup from Korea with 1.5M+ subscribers across three countries. Hannah talks about how she helped grow EO’s global business in the States through a diversified set of revenue streams including white-labeled content production, sponsored placement...

Jay Lee reveals how he helped start and build a marketing agency for Korean brands to over $1M within a year and a half. He talks about the early days, scrambling to land their first client, lessons, and how he thinks AI will impact the marketing industry.