How Two Brown Students Brought Korea’s Alcohol Aid Market To America

When Gene Oh studied abroad in Seoul as a Brown University senior, he discovered something that would change his career trajectory: jelly sticks that protect your health when drinking alcohol. These products dominate Korea's billion-dollar alcohol aid market, yet remain virtually unknown in the United States. As Co-Founders of day–guard, Oh and his partner Felix Lee are now bridging that gap, bringing Korean wellness culture to American consumers through a reimagined approach to social drinking. In this conversation, we explore how they navigated cultural barriers with Korean manufacturers, pivoted their brand strategy after rigorous customer research, built a team of interns while still in college, and why Oh gave up medical school to share a piece of his heritage with America.