Where to Get the Data, and How
Data.
Data itself had become money.
In other words, we were living in a world where it was hard to get your hands on data unless you already had money.
AI.
People used the word like it could do anything, but in the end, performance rose and fell wildly depending on how much training data it had.
So if you were building AI, the first thing you had to do was gather the data to train it.
If you were making a disease-diagnosis AI for dogs, that meant you needed data from dogs with illnesses and dogs without them.
“So, you’re saying we should make an adoption-promotion app for stray-dog volunteer groups?”
“Yeah.”
Another option would have been to go around animal hospitals buying data, or ask for the data held by Korea University’s veterinary medicine department.
But that would probably require a fairly large amount of capital.
And even then, the amount of money involved would likely be beyond what we could realistically afford.
That was why I’d come up with this method.
“Wow. But even the country’s No. 1 stray-animal rescue organization app is really terrible.”
“Can’t be helped. There are only so many people, and only so much money.”
Because animal protection groups ran largely on volunteers, they couldn’t afford to pour serious investment into an adoption-promotion app.
They could barely find enough people to handle something as simple as walking the dogs.
So we would improve the apps used by animal volunteer organizations, and in return we’d receive X-ray data from the dogs for AI training.
After all, dogs had to get X-rays anyway for basic tests before adoption, including heartworm screening.
“And make it so the partner hospitals of those animal rescue groups can use our AI for free.”
“Yeah. That way, the hospitals will probably agree to let us use the data too.”
“What about charging even a really low price and generating some revenue?”
“At our stage, it’d be better to increase the number of places using it than to chase short-term sales.”
That ended the conversation.
Professor Shin Dongjin had agreed to meet us next Monday, and that left us short on time.
We had to build something that looked like a convincing adoption-promotion app by then.
“But do we really have to finish this before meeting the professor?”
After a long silence, Jeong Hyeonwoo finally broke in and asked me that.
Ah. I hadn’t told them that part.
Your Paw, the country’s No. 1 stray-animal promotion app?
> Yes.
“He’s involved. Professor Shin Dongjin is.”
“What?!”
Jeong Hyeonwoo had been the one to ask, but every member of the club whipped around and stared at me.
“Why are you telling us that only now?”
“Ah. I didn’t think it was that important.”
“So he has something to do with the adoption groups?”
“That’s right.”
“Then if we make this insanely good, could Korea University’s veterinary medicine department become our partner hospital?”
“If we get very lucky, maybe.”
Only then did everyone stop asking questions and go back to their own work with renewed focus.
I smiled.
Looking at the team, it was honestly impossible not to smile.
The reason I could even put together a ridiculous plan like this was because of these people.
“I’m lucky our club is full of geniuses.”
“What, are you trying to be cheesy on purpose?”
“Shut up. You’re breaking my concentration.”
They all acted like they were dying of embarrassment and complained that it was unbearable to listen to.
“That’s rich, coming from the top-ranked bastard.”
Right. I was first in Korea University’s computer engineering department.
And our club was packed with the second-ranked student, scholarship students, and the rest of the top crowd.
That was why, when I suddenly suggested we make an app or build AI, everybody naturally fell into the mood of saying, sure, let’s do it.
“Anyway, let’s just do our best.”
“Okay, but you shut up.”
“Got it.”
Now that things were a little more organized, it was time to have my own situation checked over.
What do you think of my plan?
I typed into the memo pad on my laptop with a smile.
Not bad.
Well, that was high praise for Badugi.
Even if pet ownership is rising, it’ll still be a long time before this starts generating real revenue.
If this works, we’ll move straight into human medical devices next. Once the product’s performance has already been proven, gathering data and finding partner hospitals won’t be nearly as hard as it was in my last life.
Why?
Then you need to push this side of the business as fast as possible. If you want to allocate the time and money you’re investing properly, that’s the way to do it.
There was something about having my excitement deflated like that.
Don’t think of it as killing the mood. Just remember that you’re already the latecomer in diagnosis AI.
Only then did my glowing mood cool off a little.
A latecomer.
Right. The diagnosis AI field was already a market with a head start.
I’m not telling you to drop what you’re doing. This kind of detour is definitely a good move.
Seeing my discouraged expression, Badugi changed its bubble, as if flicking its tail.
Then what do you want me to do more?
How about hiring more people?
People?
Hire more people here?
Are six people really not enough?
The six of you are all developers.
We do have a planner who can handle UX and UI, and I can do a bit of everything too.
Wouldn’t it be useful to have someone who could professionally help shape the business strategy and think things through with you?
At that, I stopped typing.
Instead of running around on your own, wouldn’t it be better to have members who can brainstorm together and meet people with you?
I nodded.
Yes. More people would be good.
But how was I supposed to bring in people with different strengths into a club that was basically just an internal computer engineering group?
“Ah. Then we can’t go to the opening meeting today?”
“Wow, seriously?”
“Ughhh.”
At that moment, Jeong Gihun’s voice came through, heavy with disappointment.
The rest of the club members let out groans of regret as well.
“Opening meeting?”
The semester opening meeting. For third-years.
“The transfer students will be coming to this opening meeting too, right?”
“They should, right? Since they’re transferring in as third-years?”
At that, I smiled and told the club members,
“Then let’s go to the opening meeting.”
The club members, who had been hunched over their laptops with exhausted faces, all stared at me in shock.
“Really?”
“Just like that?”
“I thought you’d say we’re too busy.”
Even as they said that, everyone was already closing their laptops and gathering their bags.
“Yeah. Anyway, we’ve got the weekend too, and we’re only putting together the rough frame.”
“Yesss!”
Only then did the kids finally look genuinely excited.
Right. Right now, we weren’t startup members whose livelihoods depended on the company.
We were college students.
Rather than forcing them to give up the drinks they were looking forward to, it would be better to let them breathe a little and take the long road.
“Yeah. You’ve been grinding for days, so you should go have some fun!”
Choi Yeonghun slapped me on the back and pulled on his coat.
“Let’s hang out with the transfer students too. If there’s anyone useful for our club, we can pitch them while we’re at it.”
“Wow, you’re really trying to use the opening meeting like that? You sound like a working adult.”
“Still, I am curious what kind of people the transfer students will be.”
Of course, everyone had simply taken my words to mean, let’s drink with the transfer students too.
That was enough.
Recruiting someone useful from among the transfer students was a task I could handle myself.
“Don’t drink so much you drop dead! Think about how you’re going to feel tomorrow!”
“Ah, of course~!”
Then let’s go welcome the future CBO, shall we!
“Professor Hwang Junhak~”
Professor Shin Dongjin came into Professor Hwang’s lab looking cheerful and energized.
“What is it? Aren’t you busy?”
Even though Professor Hwang’s words were curt, Professor Shin’s expression didn’t change at all as he sat down across from him.
“Your student group with Kim Siwon really has shifted toward animals, huh?”
“Yes.”
“That wasn’t because veterinary medicine seemed easy, was it?”
At that pointed question, Professor Hwang, who had been looking only at his monitor, turned his head and looked at Professor Shin.
Professor Shin was smiling, but he was asking the question in complete earnest.
“Well. They probably thought it’d be easier than human medical devices.”
Professor Hwang slid over Kim Siwon’s presentation materials, which had been sitting in the corner of his desk.
He meant for Professor Shin to read them himself and decide.
Professor Shin began reading the slides right away.
“Should I also pass along the supplementary files I received separately?”
“No, it’s fine.”
Professor Shin Dongjin, head of Korea University’s veterinary medicine department, was known among students as the professor who gave grades generously like an angel.
“Don’t be too hard on them. They’re undergrads.”
But Professor Hwang knew better.
Professor Shin was actually even more exacting than he was.
“If they’re running a business, then we can’t keep treating them like they’re ‘just undergrads’ anymore.”
Professor Shin was someone who received a lot of business proposals.
In fact, he received so many proposal and consulting requests that it had become a problem.
He was the sort of person who could tell, from his inbox alone, that the companion-animal market was growing rapidly.
“I heard you’re called an angel because you give your own students such good grades.”
“Students who genuinely want to learn and merchants who just want to exploit veterinarians are not the same thing.”
That was why he had to be cold when dealing with people who said they were starting businesses.
“You know I almost never even set up meetings with those business guys, right?”
“I know. I know you said yes because you were curious about the kids I approved.”
“Looking at the plan, though, they don’t seem like the kind of kids who are talking nonsense.”
Professor Hwang nodded.
“Think of them as the first through sixth place students in Korea University’s computer engineering department.”
“They do sound like hard workers.”
“So don’t test them too hard.”
Test.
Just as Professor Hwang tested the undergraduates doing Capstone Design, Professor Shin also tested people who came to him talking about business.
In his own way.
“Why? I’m allowed to test them too.”
“Then tell me what kind of test you’re planning.”
“That’ll depend on what kind of proposal they bring me.”
Professor Shin looked oddly pleased with himself, and Professor Hwang shook his head as he watched him.
“Tell me why you took an interest in them in the first place. Then I’ll keep that in mind when I deal with them.”
At that, Professor Hwang fell into thought.
He wasn’t sure what the right answer was.
“They just…”
“Mm?”
“They just seemed like they really wanted to do it.”
But that was all Professor Hwang could really say.
Just.
That was honestly the whole reason: they simply seemed like they really wanted to do it.
“So they must be pretty serious about business.”
That was, at least, a reason Professor Shin liked.
It meant they hadn’t treated the animal-related business too lightly.