The Korea Times · Article, by Alice Hong · 26 Sep 2026
UpperClass bets on peer trust to reshape international student recruitment
Courtesy of UpperClass
IN SHORT
Alice Hong profiles UpperClass for The Korea Times after the company reached Phase 2 of the 2026 K-Startup Grand Challenge, one of 40 teams left from close to 2,000 applicants. The piece follows how Mark ended up in Korea (exchange student in 2011, working holiday in 2015, a first company in Seoul in 2016, back for good in 2020, now in Busan with his family) and how he and co-founder Rodel Sta. Ana, formerly of ApplyBoard, built the platform.
The argument: universities already own their best recruitment asset, their students and alumni, and ambassador programs stall because they don't scale by hand. UpperClass gives a university one portal for campaign briefs, brand rules, lead tracking and creator rewards. The article sets this against Korea's shrinking university-age population and the pressure on universities outside the capital, and lets former KSGC program manager Paul Kwon explain what the accelerator looks for.
“I live in Korea, my future is in Korea and my kids are Korean.”
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