-
-
-
Chairman of the Board at Coupang, Inc.
Bom Kim
U.S. Citizen Bom Kim Builds the 'Amazon of Korea'... Now Faces Challenge of Proving Value as Distribution Giant
-
Last Updated on Nov 1, 2024
Bom Kim is the Chairman of the Board and CEO of Coupang, Inc., the parent company of Coupang.
After completing large-scale infrastructure development, he successfully shifted the company from "planned losses" to profitability.
Kim has expanded Coupang's influence beyond e-commerce into sectors such as food delivery and online video streaming (OTT).
He was born on October 7, 1978, in Seoul.
Kim is a Korean-American who moved to the United States during middle school when his father, an overseas employee of Hyundai Construction, relocated there.
Holding U.S. citizenship, he is known by his American name, Bom Kim.
Kim graduated with a degree in political science from Harvard University and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. While at Harvard, he founded the magazine *Current*, which he eventually sold to *Newsweek*.
He began his career at the Boston Consulting Group.
Kim founded *Vintage Media Company*, which produced a monthly magazine targeting elite university graduates, later selling the company.
In 2010, with KRW 3 billion in startup capital, he co-founded Coupang with Sun-joo Yoon (a director with ties from Harvard and daughter of former Minister of Strategy and Finance Yoon Jeung-hyun) and Harvard Business School alumnus Jaewoo Koh, who serves as Vice President.
Initially established as a social commerce company, Coupang transitioned to an e-commerce company, introducing the groundbreaking "Rocket Delivery" service, which positioned Coupang as one of the most formidable competitors in the online and offline retail sectors.
In 2021, Kim took Coupang public on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), raising KRW 5 trillion (approximately USD 4.3 billion). These funds enabled Coupang to expand its nationwide logistics network and venture into new businesses such as *Coupang Eats* and *Coupang Play*.
As a self-made entrepreneur and innovative business leader, Kim is often referred to as the "Jeff Bezos of Korea."
#BomKim #Coupang #RocketDelivery #CoupangEats #CoupangPlay #ecommerce #NYSE #innovation #Harvard #selfmadeentrepreneur