TOMODACHI Alumni Highlight: Christian Park, from TOMODACHI Next Generation Summit 2025
Christian (Sunwoo) Park, an alumnus of the 2022 TOMODACHI Boeing Entrepreneurship Seminar, co-founded the Matsuo Lab startup Deepreneur, working with Japanese companies using generative AI. He left Deepreneur and now founded UNCHAIN Inc. in the U.S. to advance organizational transformation and AI safety, and is also developing emotionally responsive companion robots inspired by his dream of creating Doraemon.
When I first heard the theme “My Derukui Network,”
I thought about the shiny parts—achievements, bold decisions, successes.
But today, I want to talk about the muddy ones.
The moments when being a derukui—someone who sticks out—
felt less courage and more chaos.
I would like to share three key learnings that I had.
Lesson one: It’s okay not to be okay. Just keep trying.
In my senior year of high school,
while most classmates were preparing to study abroad,
I co-founded an AI company in Japan.
It sounded bold—but felt overwhelming.
I didn’t know how to code.
I taught myself machine learning while building real products.
It was survival learning—and it was brutal.
I thought, “At least I can speak.”
But in sales, I failed.
No one listened.
Even the one thing I thought I was good at—was gone.
I questioned everything.
But I learned: growth isn’t perfect.
It’s like riding a bike—you fall, you get scraped up, but you keep going.
And every time, you go a little farther.
And I did.
That company was later named one of the Top 50 AI Startups in Japan by Forbes,
and I became the youngest-ever member of SoftBank Academia.
Lesson two: You don’t have to do it alone.
I used to think asking for help was weakness.
But no one learns to bike alone.
Someone’s always holding the seat.
For me, it was my family, teammates, and the TOMODACHI community.
At last year’s NGS, I met a panelist who was from the sponsor corporate of my program and became my mentor.
She listened when I felt lost.
And just knowing she was in my corner gave me strength.
Lesson three: Always remember why you’re doing this.
At my lowest, my mom said,
“If you’re tired, you can quit.
We love you—not for what you do, but because you exist.”
That reminded me:
I’m not doing this for recognition.
I’m doing it because I’ve been loved.
And I want to give that love back.
Now, I’m starting a new journey—building a company in the U.S.
It’s scary. But I’m bringing these lessons with me:
- It’s okay not to be okay.
- You don’t have to do it alone.
- Always remember why you’re doing this.
Being derukui is hard.
But with support, purpose, and love—
that’s how we grow.
And maybe—it’s how we change the world.
Thank you.
