Mission Law Firm (CEO Seong-Hoon Kim) hosted "BBB (Bridge Beyond Borders) 2026," a cross-border practice forum, in Menlo Park, California, on January 13th (local time). The event, co-hosted by Offer Squirrel, a US-based professional recruitment platform, Grid Square, a local cross-border law firm, and UKF, the largest Korean entrepreneur community in the US, took place at the Startup and Venture Campus, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Approximately 60 people attended, including startup executives, investors, and public officials.
The forum presented the entire process of entering the US market, from incorporation to talent recruitment and tax filing, using practical case studies. In the first session, Managing Attorney Kim Seong-hoon presented on "US Market Entry Flip Strategy and Legal Structure Design." He highlighted the risks of rushed flips and presented four alternatives: continuation, business acquisition, joint venture, and subsidiary establishment. He emphasized the importance of thorough preparation and communication with shareholders.
In the second session, Lim Hyo-yeon, CEO of Offer Squirrel Korea, introduced a systematic talent acquisition framework for Korean startups entering the US market. Lim explained the need for designing pre-, during-, and post-recruitment stages, and presented solutions for establishing a local compensation system, establishing corporate infrastructure, identifying hidden talent, onboarding and performance management, and managing labor risks in North America.
Andre Kim, Managing Attorney at Gridsquare, addressed accounting and tax infrastructure and cross-border financial strategies, emphasizing the need for pre-screening transfer pricing and entrepreneurial taxation. He detailed US tax issues, including FDAP income, ECI income, and stock option taxation, and emphasized the importance of systematic documentation and compliance management.
The panel discussion was moderated by Kim Kwang-rok, CEO of UKF, and featured participation from Kim Seong-hoon, Managing Attorney at Law, Andre Kim, Lee Su-yong of ADOASIS COS, and Lee Ju-hyeon, CEO of Halfmore. The panel discussed the practical challenges Korean startups face when entering the US market. The panel emphasized integrated strategies, including assessing local market competitiveness, establishing early governance, and managing records, taxes, and human resources.
CEO Lim Hyo-yeon emphasized the importance of initial local hiring, drawing on her experience securing key talent in North America. Managing Attorney Andre Kim reaffirmed the importance of establishing an accounting, tax, and compliance infrastructure. Managing Attorney Kim Sung-hoon stated that Mission Law Firm will play a leading role in providing integrated solutions and infrastructure as a super connector bridging the Korean and US ecosystems.
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