Lee Yeon-woo is a financial journalist at The Korea Times. Her wide range of reporting includes policies, macroeconomics, stock market, companies and even crypto. She is passionate about connecting the dots in Korean finance and making it easier for foreign nationals to understand. Based on her previous experience as a national reporter, she also has a keen interest in social issues within the sector, including gender equality and ESG. Your tips and insights are always appreciated. You can send them to yanu@koreatimes.co.kr.
Toss named official partner for Harvard Business School experiential course
Students from Harvard Business School pose at Toss headquarters in Seoul, May 19, after participating in the "FIELD Global Capstone program." Courtesy of Toss
By Lee Yeon-woo
Toss said Monday that it has been selected as an official partner for Harvard Business School's global experiential learning program, "FIELD Global Capstone."
The course is designed to enhance students' practical skills and teamwork in diverse, real-world settings, with over 900 students engaging simultaneously around the world. Toss was selected as one of the partner companies across 14 global cities.
From May 12 to May 19, MBA students from Harvard Business School visited Toss’s headquarters in Seoul to conduct a weeklong research assignment. The focus of their study was mobile usability among millennials and older generations.
In preparation, the students held several weeks of preliminary meetings with the Toss team to establish initial hypotheses and conduct user research. Toss's product managers, user experience designers and strategy leads working on senior-focused services helped them develop a stronger understanding of the company’s service design philosophy and business context.
Based on this collaboration, the students refined their hypotheses through interviews with U.S.-based users and gained deeper insights into Seoul through user testing and street interviews.
They also explored strategies for expanding Toss’s older user base and strengthening related engagement channels. Drawing on similar cases from other countries, the students delivered a final presentation with proposals tailored to Toss’s unique context.
"We’re pleased to have partnered with Harvard Business School to help students gain insights in a real-world business environment," a Toss official said. "We hope the experience provided valuable, hands-on learning that can only be achieved on-site."