Impact-based entrepreneurship education company Underdogs (CEO Kim Jeong-heon) announced on the 7th that it has acquired 'F-Lab & Company (hereinafter referred to as F-Lab)', which operates a practical developer education and mentoring platform, and will begin in earnest to foster talent in future technology fields across the AI and software (SW) industries and create social value.
F-Lab is a company that operates a 1:1 mentoring-based education program designed to help new developers grow into mid-level developers with practical skills. Top 1% developer mentors from major tech companies such as Naver, Kakao, Line, and Coupang directly design the curriculum and provide high-density feedback, and many of the graduates have proven the effectiveness of the education by getting jobs at large IT companies and unicorn startups.
Through this acquisition, Underdogs plans to strengthen its convergence talent training solution that meets the demands of the AI and SW industries by combining its existing entrepreneurship education know-how with F-Lab’s practical developer training system. In particular, amid the recent spread of generative AI technology, it is focusing on providing practical technology-based job opportunities to people from various backgrounds, including young people and non-majors.
Kim Jeong-heon, CEO of Underdogs, said, “F-Lab is a team that has successfully verified a structure that connects skilled developers to practical fields beyond simple technical education,” and “Through this acquisition, we hope to create a model where the social value-centered education we have pursued is connected to future industries and leads to job creation.”
This acquisition is also a key axis of Underdogs’ global strategy. Underdogs is already expanding its entrepreneurship education curriculum to major Asian bases such as Japan and India, and plans to foster local technical talent and form a regional network based on F-Lab’s customized mentoring and practice-oriented curriculum. Through this, the plan is to create a regional talent ecosystem suitable for the AI era and to expand social impact across Asia.
Meanwhile, Underdogs is pursuing full-scale business expansion, including this acquisition. It recently successfully completed a pre-IPO worth 9 billion won and is improving its overall corporate operations with the goal of listing on KOSDAQ in 2026. In the future, it is preparing to leap forward as an Asia-based ESG and impact solution specialist.
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