Background
While working as project manager at LG Fashion, I felt that the extent of my social impact was limited to a commerce platform. Thus, I decided to cofound a social impact platform called Mom O' Clock. It aimed to help mothers find work after childbirth, contributing to their self-actualization, family income and Korea’s 0.71 birth rate.
As cofounder, I first built a business model based on user interviews and surveys; recruited product designers and developers; and drafted a business roadmap for capital investment. Mom O' Clock was thus able to secure 100 million KRW in investment to launch a minimum viable product and achieve viral growth from satisfied users sharing the service.
As a social impact platform, Mom O' Clock successfully connected former career women to the local talent market, generating demand for their tutoring services, education consulting, legal counseling, craftwork, etc.
Project Brief
To embark on the journey toward my dream—using technology to address societal issues—I founded a platform called Mom O' Clock.
With the vision of "Empowering Moms," I connected professional women who had taken a career break due to childbirth and provided them with opportunities to use their talents for the local community. This project took about 10 months and received an investment of 100 million KRW. 
Duration
2020.03-2020.10
Team
Two founders, one UX designer, one product manager, two developers
My Role
•
Cofounder
•
Market research
•
UX Design
•
Fund raising
•
Branding
•
Marketing
Problem Statement
In Korea, the birthrate was the lowest among OECD countries, and there was a societal concern that if the current trend continued, Koreans could disappear within centuries. Through several research studies, I discovered that career interruptions contribute to declining birthrate. I made efforts to address this issue by finding ways to sustain careers after childbirth.
Already OECD lowest, South Korea’s birthrate getting worse
The reason the South Korean government resorted to public “appeals” to overcome the low birth rate crisis stems from the fact that the rate has remained stagnant despite various measures to raise it over the years. The total fertility rate for women of childbearing age (15 to 49) stood at 4.53 in 1970. It fell steeply through the 1970s and 1980s before hitting rock bottom at 1.08 in 2005. While it hasn’t fallen any further since then, it also has shown almost no rebound in the ten years since. Last year, the South Korean birth rate was just 1.24. In terms of numbers of newborns, the decline has also been dramatic: from one million in 1970 to 438,000 last year. As of 2014, South Korea registered the lowest birth rate among Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries.
→ I decided that if this phenomenon continued, Korea might become the first country to disappear within a few centuries.
If so, I analyzed the cause of this phenomenon from a socio-economic lens.
Interview with a Married Woman without Children
“When I'm working, I feel pretty confident in myself. The journey I've been on so far has been all about achieving my life goals, and I'm currently happy with where my career is heading. But when I have a kid, I won't be able to keep doing the job that's been my whole life, and I don't think I'll be able to do the same stuff when I go back to work after having the baby. In Korea, even though maternity leave is technically recognized, they don't really trust women with important tasks if they plan on having a child.”
Interview with a Woman who Gave Birth while Keeping her Career
I really love my child, but there are times when I feel a bit down. I think I can tackle the physical changes that came with childbirth through willpower and effort. However, before I became a parent, my job provided me with a sense of purpose and self-worth. Now, as a parent, it feels like I've lost a part of my own identity. I no longer have the freedom to make choices solely for myself; everything revolves around the child. It's been getting me quite down these days.
So, is there a correlation between employment rate and declining birth rate?
Estimating the Correlation between Female Employment Rate and Declining Birth Rate Confirmed through Indicators
In summary, there has been a growth in the number of working women and an increase in the proportion of women gaining confidence in their careers. However, the societal trend shows a decline in the employment rate of women in executive positions, and it is clear that, from a societal standpoint, childbirth can act as a hindrance to career advancement.
Insights
After interviewing my target users, career women in their 30s and early 40s facing societal challenges, I discovered that career interruption is a major reason why many hesitate to have children. Furthermore, providing a means for these women to sustain their careers and earn a consistent income post-childbirth not only reduces postpartum depression but also increases the desire for childbirth by 150%. For instance, offering opportunities for individuals to feel a sense of efficacy through work, even if not in executive positions at large corporations, brings vitality to their lives and boosts the willingness to have children. These job opportunities have proven to create a fivefold more impactful change than various cash incentives provided by the government to encourage childbirth. While there are existing job platforms in Korea, they often focus on part-time positions for late teenagers with limited expertise. Simultaneously, I discovered a demand in certain communities for professional workers that is challenging to meet through the current hiring systems.
Solution
I used technology to create the "Mom O' Clock" platform, hoping to provide postpartum women with opportunities to sustain their career experiences. Professional women, such as English teachers and lawyers, could find volunteering or income-generating jobs through this platform after giving birth. Simultaneously, local communities in need of professional women's expertise could quickly discover suitable talents through users of this platform.
While juggling the responsibilities of raising a child, these women found flexible job opportunities through the platform, allowing them to earn income and subsequently boosting their self-esteem. The project addressed the significant obstacle of career interruptions, a key factor contributing to declining birth rates. Following user interviews in areas where the platform was implemented, there was a remarkable increase in the willingness to have children, rising from a score of 2 to 8.
Growth Strategy
For married women who have children, finding self-worth in activities outside of work can be an alternative to coping with career challenges after childbirth.For married women without children, promoting societal changes that help women who've had children discover their self-worth can reduce the psychological anxiety related to childbirth.→ Our platform will focus on married women with children, with the goal of instigating societal changes.
Target Segmentation
In-Depth-Interview
Product structure planning
Service flow overview
Product page design prototype
Result
Fund-raising 100 million KRW 263 users start using within 1 month without paid-marketing Connect 3,255 times between mom (provider) and local community (customers)What I Learned
Project Brief
To embark on the journey toward my dream — using technology to address societal issues, I founded a platform called Mom O' Clock.
With the vision of "Empowering Mom," I connected career women who had taken a career break due to childbirth and provided them with opportunities to utilize their talents at local communities. This project took about 10 months and received an investment of 100 million KRW.
Vision can change the society
Act, then some will empathize
Growth is important to make societal impact
Mom O’ Clock was pivoted into another business by another founder of it.
I then moved on to a finance service platform, Toss, to make a bigger social impact.