Finding the right tech talents, in particular in the IT field, is a challenge all over the world. South Korean startup Codepresso has developed an innovative SaaS (software-as-a-service) solution enhancing the efficiency with which organisations secure and manage IT talent.
The company’s main service is a tech workforce assessment tool that assesses the capabilities of IT professionals and job candidates in various scenarios. “Our tool provides a fair, neutral assessment of candidates’ skills and provides in-depth and quantitative information with a fully data-driven dashboard that enables organisations to analyse the skills of their workforce and monitor changes over time – a very useful decision-making tool for top executives,” explains CEO Donghun Lee. Codepresso also offers a cross-border recruitment service that pre-qualifies software developers worldwide, matching organisations with the best fit for their teams.
The right location for European expansion
Codepresso’s international expansion started in 2022, just two years after its creation. “We initially provided IT training for major Korean enterprises. When the demand for online training soared at the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed an online EdTech platform that has so far been used by 90,000 users,” says Saebyuk Lee, Global Business Development Manager at Codepresso. “Our numerous training sessions gave us a deep understanding of our clients’ specific pain points and requirements. We also quickly saw the need for a scalable and accessible solution that could work worldwide.”
We were truly impressed by Luxembourg’s commitment to digitalisation. We also saw that the support we would receive here was considerably more extensive than in other countries.
The young company now has activities in 12 different countries, notably including Vietnam, Indonesia, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. The management visited Luxembourg for the first time in 2022. “We first learnt about Luxembourg through the GDIN, a global digital innovation network under South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT that supports the country’s most promising startups,” recalls Saebyuk Lee. “Over the past two years, the GDIN has introduced many Korean startups to Luxembourg and recognised the country as a hub for innovation.”
After several visits, the company decided to incorporate its European office here. “We were truly impressed by Luxembourg’s commitment to digitalisation, not only within the country but across Europe. We also saw that the support we would receive here was considerably more extensive than in other countries. This convinced us that Luxembourg is an ideal location for European market expansion,” Saebyuk Lee points out.
Key partnerships for growth
Although Codepresso’s incorporation in Luxembourg was only finalised in July 2024, the startup has already set up collaborations within the local ecosystem. It was recently selected as the second company from Asia to contribute in the Scale X programme of Tomorrow Street, a joint venture between Vodafone and Luxembourg technology incubator Technoport accelerating leading-edge technology through scaling late-stage startups. “This enables us to scale up our sales through the Vodafone network,” says Doughun Lee.
This enables us to scale up our sales through the Vodafone network.
To get immediate access to in-depth knowledge about the European market, Codepresso also cooperates with SkyinQ, a business consultancy firm specialising in supporting Korean companies in their European market entry. “As we know Luxembourg and Europe well, we support Codepresso with marketing and sales. This enables the company to focus on R&D and content development for its global expansion,” says SkyinQ CEO Soyeh Kim.
Impacting the European IT sector
In addition to corporates, Codepresso’s client portfolio also includes universities and governments to boost the IT skills and confidence of young graduates and provide upskilling training to make people in the workforce technology ready. Besides its commercial objectives, the company also wants to make a social contribution by providing technology training to unemployed people and help them land the right job.
They treat us like a local business, not a foreign startup, and I really like it.
Codepresso will officially launch its activities in Luxembourg on 18 October 2024 with an event focusing on its Talent Acquisition and Upskilling programmes. Its main goal is now to establish SaaS as a global standard for assessing and managing IT talent. “We understand that this is an ambitious objective and are prepared for a long and challenging journey,” Saebyuk Lee points out. “Our initial focus in Luxembourg is to introduce our SaaS solution to companies and institutions.” The company is also actively targeting the entire European market.
“We believe that with the support available here, we can make significant progress,” he continues. “I have lived in many different countries, but I never saw anything similar to how the government and various institutions here work together as one team to attract foreign companies. They treat us like a local business, not a foreign startup, and I really like it. We are excited about the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on the IT industry in the European market.”
Photo credits: Codepresso, SkyinQ