Kookmin University’s KMU International Business School (hereinafter KIBS) is offering the “HOT (Hitting-the-Obvious-Things) TEAM Class,” an industry-academia collaboration project course, as part of its Technology Management curriculum for the second semester of the 2026 academic year. The partner company is Crevisse Partners, a leading domestic firm specializing in impact business and investment. This course takes the form of project-based learning (PBL), in which the company presents students with real-world “Big Questions” encountered in global business settings, and practicing experts directly participate in both instruction and evaluation.
 
The key question posed to students this semester is, “How can we achieve an energy transition that leaves no one behind?” Based on the real-world electricity supply gaps and energy poverty issues in developing countries, students are exploring sustainable clean energy business models that ensure access for low-income populations without relying solely on public subsidies.

▲ Professor Kim Dohyoung of KIBS (left) and Director Kim Won-young of Crevis Partners (right)

On October 27, Kim Won-young, a director at Crevis Partners, visited Kookmin University to deliver a special lecture on “Impact Investing and Blended Finance.” As a founding member of Crevis Partners, Director Kim is an expert who has led numerous sustainable projects in developing countries through his involvement with organizations such as the Asia Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN) and the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). Director Kim introduced the concept of impact investing—which pursues both the resolution of social and environmental issues and financial returns—as well as the significance of blended finance, which combines public funds and private capital, using domestic and international examples.
 
On October 29, students from the Hope Program visited Crevis’s headquarters in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, for a field trip. Crevis is a company that operates both impact businesses—which solve social problems—and the impact investments that support them; it currently conducts business through four business groups in collaboration with approximately 30 portfolio companies. The Digital Intelligence Group, which began in 2007 as a customer relationship management (CRM) solution for nonprofit organizations, has supported nonprofits in transparently managing their donations and donors. The Digital Commerce Group conveys client companies’ values through corporate gifts that are not discarded; Forest Ventures pursues projects that transform forests into climate solutions, such as restoring areas damaged by large-scale wildfires and creating urban forests; and Space Ventures is advancing initiatives that integrate architectural design, construction, and operations.
 
Crevis also introduced a growth model designed to help early-stage impact ventures mature into “Impact Champions” that continuously address social and environmental issues, as well as an operational structure centered on decision-making by committees under the board of directors. The company then shared a case study on supporting coffee farmers in Rwanda, a project that began in 2015 through a partnership with the Korean specialty coffee company Terra Rosa. This initiative—which has simultaneously improved coffee quality and increased farmers’ incomes by investing in local washing stations and providing technical support—is an example of a project that began as an investment and grew into a full-fledged business. During the Q&A session, students asked a series of questions, including how to manage the performance of overseas investments and the criteria for selecting target countries.

▲ Special lecture by Director Kim Won-young on October 27 (above) and a tour of Crevis’s headquarters on October 29 (below)

 Moving forward, the students will work in teams on a project to design clean energy initiatives for low-income populations in developing countries. Each team will draft a business plan, project proposal, and budget based on technology management theory, while developing practical skills by utilizing guidelines and templates modeled after Crevis Partners’ actual business forms. Director Kim Won-young will serve as a practical mentor, guiding the students’ projects. At the final presentation on December 8, Crevis Partners and an external panel of judges will evaluate the projects, and awards will be presented to the top-performing teams.
 
Professor Kim Dohyoung, who teaches the course, stated, “Teams that analyze real-world constraints and factors leading to failure—rather than simply imitating the provided business examples—and seek alternative solutions will receive higher evaluations.” He added, “We will focus on cultivating the ability to make sound, data-driven decisions at the intersection where profitability and social inclusivity conflict.” This course is currently offered as part of the KIBS undergraduate major curriculum in the second semester of the 2026 academic year and is scheduled to be offered in the first semester starting in the 2027 academic year.