- Speaker: Kyuyoung Kim (VPIX Medical Co., Ltd.)
- Topic: A Mechanical Engineer’s Journey into an AI Medical-Device Start-up
(How I’m Surviving in a Medical Device Start-up) - Date & Time: March 19 (Thursday), 4:00 PM–5:30 PM
- Venue: Room L409
- Abstract: In this seminar, I will candidly share how someone who majored in mechanical engineering has expanded their role in a medical-device start-up—covering clinical operations, regulatory 대응, and the integration of AI—while navigating the realities of survival in the field. By connecting my graduate-school experiences with what I face in a start-up environment, I aim to deliver three key messages.
First, crossing boundaries becomes a competitive advantage. I will share specific episodes showing how taking courses outside my major and participating in interdisciplinary projects became the foundation for taking on leadership roles in a start-up.
Second, context matters more than content. Through the process of a mechanical-engineering graduate—rather than an AI developer—using AI as a tool and integrating it into a product, I will explain why understanding context and solving problems matter more than the knowledge one already has.
Third, the attitude of finishing what you start makes everything possible. Through my 4.5-year path to graduation, the experience of enduring a revenue-free period in a start-up, and the journey from a rough first product to real brain-tumor surgery settings, I will convey why problem-solving ability and perseverance matter more than the artifact itself.
Finally, we will reflect on a reality where “what to do” is becoming more important than “how to do it” in the AI era, and consider the meaning and responsibility of national support as KAIST graduate students.
