SMU-XO students with GoPizza founder and SMU alumnus, Jay Lim

In the front row from left to right: Professor Mark Chong and Jay Lim, the founder and CEO of GoPizza. In 2022, following the Covid pandemic, the first group of students who ventured overseas under the SMU-X Overseas (SMU-XO) programme are those enrolled in the "Business of the Creative Industries" course. The course introduced them to the business models of cultural content producers and the role of digital platforms in enabling these models. In addition, students explored the key characteristics of the emerging creator economy and the associated social media entertainment. In Seoul, Korea, they learnt about its culture, explored renowned sites like Hongdae, Gyeongbokgung Palace and took part in a networking session with SMU alumni living in the city. They also toured Hanyang University and learnt valuable insights from presentations by TikTok Korea, Netflix Korea, Teammates, 11018, GoPizza, Enterprise Singapore, and a Korean make-up YouTuber. The trip ended with a presentation to the Gushcloud team, where they applied their knowledge to a significant real-world project.