Title: Tridge Capital Market & Business Development, Managing Director Jae-Young Lee
Header: "Tridge is at a critical juncture where it’s proving its value in the global market. As we’re building a business that the world has never seen before, every moment is an intense challenge."
Learn more about the value Tridge is creating through an interview with Jae-Young Lee, Managing Director of Capital Market & Business Development, who recently joined the company with a mission to address information asymmetry and inefficiency in the global agriculture and food market.
Jae-Young Lee, who was captivated by Tridge's grand vision and execution capabilities, aims to lead the company’s strategic growth and unfold the ‘next chapter’ as a new managing director. Let's explore Tridge’s journey and the value it’s creating.
Q. Hello, nice to meet you. Could you please introduce yourself?
▶ Hello, I am Jae-Young Lee, currently the Managing Director of the Capital Market & Business Development Division.
Q. I’ve heard you have an impressive career. Could you briefly introduce your background?
▶ I wouldn’t say it’s that impressive, but I have worked hard throughout my career. I graduated from Seoul National University and began my career at Lehman Brothers in Hong Kong. After completing my MBA at MIT, I worked as a senior trader at Nomura Securities in New York and Barclays Capital in Hong Kong until recently.
Q. That sounds like a career straight out of the TV shows. But it feels like there’s a distance between your career and Tridge. How did you decide to join the company?
▶ Well, initially I learned about Tridge through a friend who worked here. I then had the opportunity to meet the CEO. After having a deep conversation with him, I was impressed by the scale of Tridge's grand vision and its execution capabilities.
What stood out to me was that Tridge targets the primary sector of agriculture and food, providing both information services, which are software-based, and actual trade fulfillment, which is hardware-based. This combination is quite unique.
I wondered how many organizations in Korea have ambitions of this scale. Reflecting on my career, I realized how I could contribute significantly to Tridge’s direction, which is why I joined the company.
Q. Have you always been interested in food or the agricultural industry?
▶ I don’t think anyone can say they aren’t interested in food. Personally, I enjoy wine quite well. Wine is such a fascinating market. There are numerous related businesses, given its diversity in origin and grape variety, and deep history. Now that I think about it, it aligns very well with Tridge.
Q. You’ve worked in the U.S., Hong Kong, and Korea at several companies. How is Tridge different from the companies you've experienced?
▶ The finance markets I worked in dealt primarily with financial products. Sometimes, I felt like everything was detached from reality and reduced to numbers on a computer. Tridge, on the other hand, deals with real, tangible goods. This gives it a more direct and meaningful impact on society.
Interestingly, one commonality is the global background of Tridge's staff. I am so amazed at how global it felt, sometimes even more so than the foreign companies I worked with before. The emphasis on communication and collaboration within the organizational structure was also very familiar to me.
Q. Could you explain the role of the Capital Market and Business Development team that you lead at Tridge?
▶ Given the nature of the work, much of it is confidential, but we primarily handle two key functions. The first is IR (Investor Relations), where we communicate with existing and potential investors. This includes fundraising and even IPO-related activities. The second function is developing company-wide business strategies. We help various business units formulate their strategies and monitor execution to ensure results. Currently, we are working on expanding and optimizing domestic and international sales teams to strengthen platform sales.
Q. What do you think is the most important skill in this role?
▶ Not just for my team but in any job, I believe communication is the most crucial skill. Being able to discuss effectively and refining ideas through interaction with others is the key to success. New directions always come out from these conversations, and through mutual feedback.
Q. How would you describe yourself as a leader?
▶ I spend a lot of time thinking about how I can foster intrinsic motivation in my colleagues. I believe a leader's most important role is to give their team members missions that align with their inner motivations. This draws out their best performance. I observe each person’s motivation points and set goals that resonate with them. With this, I’m sure work naturally gets accomplished. No matter how hard you push, if it doesn’t align with the motivation, people will push back. Achieving this requires ongoing dialogue and treating people as people. I see myself as a patient leader, taking the time to discuss and reach mutual agreements.
Q. It’s been about two months since you joined Tridge. From the perspective of a newcomer, how has your first month been?
▶ It may sound cliché, but it felt like a month was six months, or even a year, given the intensity of the company. It’s not just the workload—it’s the passion and high standards that Tridge employees have for their work. I could witness how much each individual has aligned themselves with the vision of the company, knowing what to do and what they want to pursue. This came from their deepest heart. Although it's a startup, since the company is now in its 10th year, I realized that even for a single task, there’s a lot of history embedded in it, so it takes quite some time to fully grasp everything.
Q. That’s an interesting metaphor. What has been the most impressive chapter in Tridge’s “book” so far?
▶ I was quite amazed by the scale and speed of Tridge’s global expansion from 2-3 years ago. The rapid growth in various regions globally really stood out to me.
Q. So, what do you think will be the next chapter for Tridge?
▶ Tridge is a global-oriented company. Previously, it has been about planting seeds widely to lay the groundwork for global growth. Now, it is time to focus on depth and put together a more detailed and refined plan for future growth.
Q. How have you found the working style of Tridge employees so far?
▶ I’ve been consistently impressed by the work attitude of my colleagues. From juniors to seniors, the level of commitment here is remarkable. It makes me reflect on how I was at their level and feel fortunate I started earlier in my career. It’s humbling, really.
To be more specific, Tridge has a lot of junior employees, and I’ve noticed that they approach their work very proactively. They don’t just finish their tasks and report them—they think deeply about the ultimate goal of the work and seek ways to contribute beyond what’s expected.
Another impressive aspect is the sense of ownership. Since Tridge is a startup, juniors are often given responsibilities beyond their rank, and rather than feeling burdened or avoiding them, they take these as opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and enjoy the challenge. Their active mindset and constant drive to improve amazed me, and I believe this speaks well for Tridge’s future.
Q. The agri-food industry is undergoing rapid change due to climate change and technological advancements. What value is Tridge creating amid these shifts?
▶ The agricultural market that Tridge is tackling is a critical market that affects all of humanity—it has been around since the dawn of civilization. However, this market is traditionally very fragmented, with many variables creating severe information asymmetry and inefficiencies. Despite its size, digital transformation has been slow, and there’s a severe shortage of reliable information relative to demand.
Even on a small scale, think about how the price of Korean cabbage during the kimchi-making season impacts the domestic market. Now, imagine this on a global scale—how much inefficiency arises from the complexity? Tridge has already identified these problems over the past 10 years and is now providing solutions, which are being used by many large domestic and international companies across export, logistics, purchasing, sales, and research centers.
I believe Tridge’s growth directly contributes to reducing inefficiencies in the market and adds value for humanity as a whole. The business model is inherently public-oriented and socially beneficial. I’m confident that much of the value created by Tridge’s business will ultimately return to both producers and consumers, beyond the company's own profits.
Q. What is a goal you hope to achieve at Tridge?
▶ I believe Tridge will become the next-generation innovative global company. I want to contribute to the birth of a global software company from Korea. I feel truly honored to be part of this journey, especially as we lay the foundation for future growth.
Q. Lastly, could you share a message with your future colleagues at Tridge?
▶ Tridge is currently at a critical moment where it’s proving its value in the global market. Since we are creating a business that didn’t exist before, every moment is an intense challenge.
As someone who recently observed the startup scene from the outside, I’d like to share some thoughts. Having seen the flow of money for a long time, I believe that everything moves in cycles. Whether we are at the peak or below the surface, right now can only be determined in hindsight. While it's true that we are facing challenges, I am confident that if we sharpen our technical and strategic skills during this time of extreme demands, we will emerge as a stronger company when the next cycle arrives.
I am honored to join Tridge on this journey. Our dreams are big, but if we match that ambition with effort and capability, those dreams will become reality. To all of us who have gathered to achieve these great goals, I hope we stay together until the end. Let’s do great things together!
