2024 Year-End Highlights: Openfor.co, Founder Institute, and More

As we step into 2025, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the milestones Openfor.co achieved last year. In 2024, we initiated the launched of Co.Capital, expanded global partnerships, and empowered countless entrepreneurs through impactful programs and events.

Our co-founders, Erdinc and Yuli, who also lead the Founder Institute chapters in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, played a pivotal role in fostering a dynamic entrepreneurial ecosystem, driven by their vision and dedication.

We also focused on partnerships-led growth, making it easier and more affordable to nurture collaborations through a straightforward membership plan designed to help you grow, monetize, and finance your partnerships paired with our online platform. With a mission to build a global ecosystem of people and organizations open to collaboration, we’re making the world more connected and collaborative.

Here’s a recap of our most defining moments from 2024, setting the stage for even greater success in 2025!

A Year of Progress and Major Milestones

Here are the highlights of our accomplishments this year:

Openfor.co Partnership and GTM Accelerator Bootcamp Program: In our summer and fall cohort of 2024, 31 participated, and 22 completed the program, earning their graduation from this intensive journey.
Launching New Features on Our Platform: Overview of new features like the Partnership Showcase Page, PRM Dashboard, and Partnership Bootcamp Dashboard with future launches, like location-based profiles, Paid Collaboration, and Preset Collaboration.
Founder Institute Japan, Korea, Taiwan 2024 Journey: With the Founder Institute Partnership, we run the 2024 Summer cohort program in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. Out of 159 applications, 59 were accepted, 27 enrolled, and 14 successfully graduated. We also have the official launch of the Taiwan chapter.
Events: This year we have hosted 26 local events in Japan and Korea and co-host 54 global events. For local events alone, more than 1,500 people registered and attended.
Initiation of Launching Co-Capital: Introduction to Co-Capital as a new GTM-focused VC platform bridging gaps between East Asia and Silicon Valley with a focus on global scaling.
Our Founders Global Adventures and Achievements: Key milestones of our founders in 2024 include Erdinc organizing and attending global startup events, and expanding Openfor.co's network across multiple countries, and earning "The Momentum Award " from the prestigious VC Lab program. Meanwhile, Yu Li joined iU University in Japan as a Visiting Professor, sharing her expertise in global business negotiation to inspire future leaders.
Openfor.co/fellowship Youth Community: Our youth fellowship community reached a total of around 200 members from 34+ countries. In 2024, we provided training to 81 fellows, 59 fellows completing the program, 10 internships, and 2 job placements, bridging talent with opportunity.
Ecosystem Impact and Reach: We have created a well-connected global startup community in Japan and Korea for local founders, investors, corporations, institutions, government, and other ecosystem players.

1. Openfor.co Partnership and GTM Accelerator Bootcamp Program

In 2024, Openfor.co continued to address the challenges faced by early-stage founders through our transformative Partnership and GTM Accelerator Bootcamp. Recognizing the need for traction and collaboration in business, we designed our bootcamp to help founders overcome challenges, build strong partnerships, and drive sustainable growth. This year, we proudly hosted 2 Partnership and GTM Accelerator Bootcamps: Summer Cohort (March 27, 2024 –May 2, 2024) and Fall Cohort (October 16, 2024 –November 6, 2024). A total of 31 founders from diverse industries joined and engaged in hands-on workshops, pitch practices, networking sessions, office hours, pre-set collaborations, and actionable deliverables to turn their ideas into reality.

With the guidance of our founders, Yu Li Shein and Erdinc Ekinci, and support from our valued partners, especially Interesting Engineering, the founders refined their strategies, explored new collaborations, and took significant steps toward business growth. With the launch of a personalized dashboard, this year’s bootcamp provided a seamless experience for participants and made the program even more effective. Congratulations to all our attendees and graduates for their dedication and progress. We are inspired by your hard work and look forward to seeing your ventures thrive!

Our New Bootcamp Cohort is Open For Applications

We're excited to open applications for the Spring 2025 Cohort of the Partnership and GTM Accelerator Bootcamp in collaboration with Founder Institute! This 4-week program is designed to help everyone build traction and leverage strategic partnerships to drive growth and success. Applications close on February 16th, 2025. The program starts on March 4 and the last session will be March 25!

What You’ll Experience:

Intensive but fun 4 different modules which take 4-5 weeks
Expert Mentoring
Interactive Workshops
Proven Deliverables
Exclusive Resources
Fun Networking
Funding opportunities

If you are looking to get traction, and secure LOIs, POCs, and Marketing and Channel partnerships, consider applying to our free program!

✅ Learn more about the curriculum and apply here: https://lnkd.in/g4qQkkVU

2. Launching New Features on Our Platform

This year, we have taken collaboration to the next level with exciting new features designed to make connecting, growing, and succeeding easier than ever. Whether you’re an entrepreneur seeking partnerships or an organization ready to scale, these enhancements will ensure a seamless and more rewarding experience for you.

Here are a closer look of our updated and new features in 2024

Partnership Showcase Page: We made significant updates to the Partnership Showcase Page, enhancing its functionality and design. Users can now present their company story in an engaging storytelling format, allowing them to share their journey in a more personal and impactful way. Along with the story, businesses can highlight key achievements, milestones, and products to showcase their growth and successes. Additionally, users can now feature their collaboration calls as dedicated partner programs, making it easier to promote specific partnership opportunities. These improvements aim to help businesses attract the right partners and grow through meaningful collaborations.
PRM Dashboard: The Partner Program Dashboard provides users with full control over what they want to showcase on their Partnership Showcase Page. From here, they can easily add and manage various elements, such as storytelling features to highlight their company's journey, key milestones, and achievements. Additionally, they can set up and display collaboration calls, making it easier to attract the right partners for specific programs. This dashboard serves as a central hub for organizing and presenting partnership opportunities in a structured and engaging way.
Partnership Bootcamp Dashboard: The Openfor.co Partnership Bootcamp Dashboard has been significantly enhanced to support participants throughout their journey. Now, participants can easily access their weekly assignments, which detail the specific tasks and learning objectives for each week. The dashboard offers a seamless way to track progress, so users can stay organized and on top of deadlines. Additionally, the dashboard includes a dedicated space for mentor feedback, enabling participants to receive valuable insights and recommendations tailored to their individual growth. This real-time feedback helps them refine their approaches, improve their strategies, and stay aligned with the bootcamp's goals, ensuring a more effective and productive learning experience.

Here are the Upcoming Features that we will launch soon
- Location-based partner programs and discovery: With enhanced address management and interactive map for seamless discovery and the ability to search based on location, users can quickly find the ideal partners to collaborate with, saving time and effort.
- Paid Collaboration: This feature enables users to monetize collaboration calls by allowing businesses to charge participants a fee, creating a new revenue stream. It also includes tools to track performance, monitor participant numbers, and measure earnings from each session.
- Preset Collaboration: This feature provides customizable templates with pre-defined structures, topics, and objectives, allowing users to quickly and effectively set up collaboration calls without needing extensive time or expertise.

3. Founder Institute Japan/ Korea/ Taiwan 2024 Journey

This year, we proudly reached new milestones with Founder Institute Japan, Korea, and Taiwan in 2024. From the successful graduation of our Japan and Korea 2024 cohort to the launch of Founder Institute Taiwan, it has been a year filled with impactful moments of growth, collaboration, and innovation. We could make it possible thanks to our incredible network of 200+ global and local mentors for their guidance to founders and to more than 50 partners including VC firm, government organizations, corporations and active community for their continued support.

Founder Institute Japan and Korea 2024 Cohort

The Japan and Korea 2024 cohort wrapped up its journey on August 27, 2024, with a virtual graduation event as the founders completed their intensive 14-week program.

Out of 800 funneled, 159 applicants and 27 enrolled founders, a total of 14 founders successfully graduated, each showcasing resilience, innovation, and a commitment to building impactful businesses. Thanks to the support of our mentors, partners and local leaders, Erdinc Ekinci and Yuli Shein, these founders gained valuable insights in business model validation, product-market fit, and growth strategies. Congratulations to all our graduates, and check out graduation highlights in this blog.

Launch of FI Taiwan

2024 also marked the exciting launch of Founder Institute Taiwan, led by Erdinc Ekinci and Yuli Shein. This new chapter is designed to support Taiwanese entrepreneurs, offering them access to Founder Institute’s global network of mentors, investors, and partners. We’re excited to open up new opportunities in Taiwan to empower founders to build impactful businesses both locally and globally.

Founder Institute 2024 Global Core: A Year of Global Impact

The Founder Institute continues to be a leader in empowering early-stage startups globally. In 2024, FI celebrated the growth of its 8,000+ alumni companies and a $20 billion portfolio, as well as its expanded reach across 200 chapters in over 100 countries. Founder Institute has hosted over 9,000 events with 625,000+ attendees, connecting founders with 35,000+ mentors and 4,000+ investors.

With key partnerships with investors like Bessemer Venture Partners, Y Combinator, Insight Partners, Javelin Venture Partners, Tiger Global, Launch, Techstars, 500, Canaan Partners, Naspers, MassMutual Ventures, GV, SoftBank, Tencent, Kejora Capital, OperAgent Ventures, Right Click Capital, Golden Gate Ventures, and Bloomberg Beta, FI’s Global VC Lab raised $1.5 billion, launching 510+ funds and investing $314 million into startups. These accomplishments highlight FI’s ongoing commitment to supporting innovation and entrepreneurship at a global scale. As we close 2024, we look forward to continuing our mission to empower founders across Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and beyond.

Founder Institute Global 2025 Summer Cohort Program is Open For Applications

We are excited to announce that applications are open for the Founder Institute Global 2025 Summer Cohort Program for Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. This international cohort, hosted by Founder Institute Japan, Founder Institute Korea, and Founder Institute Taiwan, is conducted in English, with Japanese language support available.

What You’ll Experience:

A structured methodology designed to focus on your priorities
Local & global mentorship to make smart decisions
Funding opportunities to drive growth
Global business insights to scale effectively
Networking opportunities with founders and industry leaders

Learn More and Apply:

Founder Institute Japan: https://fi.co/japan
Founder Institute Taiwan: https://fi.co/taiwan
Founder Institute Korea: https://fi.co/korea

4. Events

This year, we proudly hosted a series of impactful events in collaboration with local and global partners. In total, we organized 26 local events in Japan and Korea, alongside 54 co-hosted global events. Our local events alone drew over 1,500 registrations and attendees, reflecting strong community engagement and interest.

Here are highlights of events we done

5. Initiation of the Launch of Co-Capital, triggered Significant early traction and became an award winner

As a fully bootstrapped startup, we reach to a moment where we can launch our own VC as a sister firm. After collaborating with hundreds of startups, we see the opportunity to have equity relationships and grow collectively. Introducing Co-Capital, our new initiative designed to create collaboration synergies for both sides of the table, startups, and investors!

“As Openfor.co, with our platform combined with our Partnerships & GTM Accelarator Bootcamp we are able to see who is performing well no matter how early stage start they are, and further support as Co-capital.co”

Also with almost 3-years of experience running Founder Institute accelerator and supporting pre-seed stage founders, we realized a critical gap in preseed-stage VC especially across the East Asia region. By combining the data and insights from Openfor.co and the extensive mentorship network of Founder Institute, we can identify synergies between startups and partners that would otherwise go unnoticed. This synergy-driven approach not only accelerates startup growth but also amplifies the impact of every stakeholder involved in our ecosystem."

Despite the incredible potential of founders here, and the GTM expertise that we provide with our over 200 mentors, together with access to resources that we provide, the capital that concetraes on GTM efforts still remains limited which makes them unable to expand globally.

That’s why we have positioned both Openfor.co and Co-capital as an ecosystem builder, catalyst, and supporters (as the name choice aligns) of all the other ecosystem players such as Accelerators, VC, Governments, Corporates and so on. Co-Capital, we focus on fostering a synergistic ecosystem. By connecting startups, investors, mentors, and corporations, we aim to create a sustainable cycle of growth and collaboration. Startups receive valuable support and resources tailored to their needs, while investors and partners gain access to thoughtfully selected opportunities.

With a focus on a B2B-first approach, Co-Capital serves as a platform and community bridging the gap between science and industry, with a strong emphasis on East Asia and Silicon Valley. We provide early-stage founders with GTM and Partnerships Development programs, along with strategic guidance to scale internationally. Starting from Japan, our mission is to empower Asia’s incredible talent pool, supporting English-speaking founders in solving multi-billion-dollar problems and positioning ourselves as their key GTM partner.

We believe that the launch of co-capital stands out as a defining moment in our journey in 2024 to create a collaborative ecosystem where synergies thrive and ideas flourish.

If you’re a founder, investor, or partner ready to join this transformative initiative, we invite you to explore co-capital further: https://www.co-capital.co/

6. Our Founders Global Adventures and Achievements

This year, our founders, Erdinc and Yu Li continued to make impactful strides globally—especially Erdinc while Yuli embraced the incredible journey of becoming a new mom—their Contributions as Speaker, Mentor, Judge, Partner and Commentator at Prestigious Startup Events Worldwide.

Approximately 500+ meetings, networked and connected 1000+ business people, hundreds of selfies :)

Erdinc, Openfor.co’s CEO, had the honor of being invited as a judge to several prestigious events worldwide. His journey took him to Korea, UAE, and Turkiye, where he attended in-person events and networked with 1000+ business people and around 20% of them investors, partners, and startup founders. Beyond in-person engagements, His contributions also extended to online events where he shared meaningful insights and discussions inspiring the global entrepreneurial community. You can find a collection of his insightful post-event reflections here.

Winner Award in Venture Capital

Erdinc’s commitment to empowering entrepreneurs extended further as he joined the highly selective VC Lab program—one of the most challenging and rewarding programs with a success rate of under 2% and requires exceptional resilience and commitment from participants. With such admiring energy and dedication, Erdinç with Co-capital.co has received “The Momentum Award” for exceeding the program expectations. Achieving this milestone while leading Openfor.co team has shown Erdinc’s extraordinary perseverance. Congratulations to Erdinç for this incredible milestone!

Meanwhile, Yu Li, who has also been a cornerstone of Openfor.co’s success, brought her exceptional leadership and vision to new heights this year, as well. She joined iU 情報経営イノベーション専門職大学 (Professional University of Information and Management for Innovation), a prestigious Japanese institution for entrepreneurial education, as a Visiting Professor of Global Business Negotiation. In this role, Yuli shares her knowledge in entrepreneurship, innovation, and collaboration while equipping the next generation of leaders with the skills needed to excel in a dynamic global market.

Here are some major partner events that our founders got invited

+ many more smaller but equally valuable events, we have appreciated recognition.

We are very proud of our founders and thank everyone who keeps cheering them as they continue to lead with passion and inspiration!

7. Youth Fellowship Program

We are proud to have supported youths finding certainty in uncertain times since September 1st, 2020. Over the past 4 years and 4 months, we have provided the Capsule Program, Career Development Trainings, scholarships, internships, and job opportunities to motivated youths with diverse backgrounds from various countries through our fellowship programs.

In 2024, we continued our mission by hosting 2 cohorts of Capsule Program. Among 120 applicants, we welcomed 81 fellows, 59 successfully completed the Capsule Program and became part of our exclusive Openfor.co/fellowship community. We also offered 10 paid internships and 2 job placements this year as we stay committed to bridging the gap between talent and opportunity.

Today, our fellowship network stands strong with 197 members, representing diverse talents and aspirations from around the world. Since the start of the Openfor.co/fellowship in 2020, we have selected 200 fellows among 3,280 applicants from 34 countries to join our exclusive youth community, providing Capsule Program and Career Training Sessions to 164 of them. Sofar, we have offered a total of 83 internships, and created 25 job opportunities to help fellows achieve their goals and navigate uncertainty with confidence.

As we move into 2025, Openfor.co/fellowship remains dedicated to unlocking the potential, and empowering the next generation of changemakers around the world.

8. Special Thanks to Our Lovely Team!

A huge credit and thanks to all our incredible team members for all your hard work, dedication and commitment to make 2024 an unforgettable year for Openfor.co. This journey has been filled with challenges, growth, and success, and we couldn’t have done it without each of you. You all have brought your unique energy and creations to every project, making this a colorful and exciting journey for us all!

Messages from Our Founders:

Erdinc Ekinci - Co-Founder and CEO

This year has been transformative, marked by milestones, recognition, and countless opportunities to create impact. It’s been a year of building bridges—across borders, industries, and ecosystems—through collaborations, mentorship, and partnerships that drive meaningful progress. From meeting hundreds of new startups to exponentially growing our network of investor friends, I and our team have proudly created hundreds of collaborations that are already sparking innovation and growth.

Being invited to global events as a judge, mentor, advisor, and speaker has been a highlight, reaffirming my passion for building ecosystems and empowering founders. Winning awards and receiving recognition along the way has been humbling and a powerful reminder of why we do what we do: to enable bold ideas to thrive.

As the year unfolded, we took on projects that pushed boundaries. From completing a major Korean government project to running the Founder Institute 2024 Global Summer Cohort, hosting the Openfor.co Partnership & GTM Accelerator Bootcamp, and launching Openfor.co/Capital, these milestones reflect the shared vision of a talented and dedicated team. Together, we’ve been scaling collaborations, empowering founders, and setting the stage for impactful global partnerships.

To our incredible team—your resilience, commitment, and unique contributions have been the backbone of everything we’ve achieved. This year, we’ve not only built a company but an ecosystem where talent, opportunity, and collaboration thrive. Kudos to each of you for making this journey possible.

Looking ahead to 2025, we are excited to partner with and support even more startups and ecosystem contributors. Our mission is to make an even bigger impact, and we are open for collaborations with those who share our vision. Together, we can drive innovation, foster growth, and create a brighter future for the entrepreneurial world.

Yuli Shein - Co-Founder and COO

This year has been incredibly special for me, as I took on the life-changing role of becoming a new mom—a title I truly believe is the hardest job in the world. While I once thought being a startup founder was the most challenging path, motherhood has proven to be just as demanding and rewarding. Despite this new chapter in my life, I’ve stayed committed to pursuing the work I believe in and embracing new challenges with determination.

From finalizing a major Korean government project to running the Founder Institute 2024 Global Summer Cohort, hosting the Openfor.co Partnership & GTM Accelerator Bootcamp, managing our team to ensure smooth operations, and becoming a part-time professor at a Japanese entrepreneur university, this year has been a whirlwind of meaningful milestones. On top of that, I ventured into the world of venture capital to support Openfor.co’s mission of launching Openfor.co/Capital, a new VC initiative.

2024 has been about scaling impact—growing our community, empowering founders, and fostering strategic partnerships across borders. On a personal level, it has been fulfilling to lead alongside such a talented and diverse team. Every challenge we faced was met with resilience and collaboration, and it’s this spirit that made the year unforgettable.

To my team—your dedication and unique contributions have been instrumental in everything we’ve achieved. Together, we’re not just building a company; we’re creating a global ecosystem where talent and opportunity thrive. Here’s to continuing this journey and making an even greater impact in the years ahead!

New Year messages from our core team members

Sushmita Khattri (Digital Marketing)

As 2024 comes to a close, I’m so grateful to be part of the Openfor.co team! This year has been filled with learning, collaboration, and meaningful achievements, from working alongside an amazing team to growing professionally.

Looking ahead to 2025, I’m excited to continue building, innovating, and contributing to impactful projects. Here’s to a new year of opportunities, growth, and success!

Wishing everyone a fantastic 2025! 🎉

Ei Nandar Soe (Digital Marketing)

As 2024 comes to an end, I find myself reflecting on a year of growth, challenges, and achievements at Openfor.co. This timeline has been more than just a role—it’s been about connections, learning, and the joy of working alongside a team.

Every responsibility and every brainstorm taught me something new, not just about marketing but about creativity, and the power of teamwork. In 2025, I’m excited to keep growing with the company by working hard with the team to reach our goals.

Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season and a new year that exceeds your dreams! And if anyone needs last-minute gift ideas, chocolate is always a crowd-pleaser xD.

Hsu Yamin Pyae (HR - Operations)

2024 has been a year full of exciting challenges, new opportunities, and moments that have pushed me to grow both personally and professionally.

A standout for me always has been the chance to work with such a talented and supportive team. Together, we’ve created initiatives that make meaningful impacts on entrepreneurs' journeys, and each step has taught me with valuable lessons and fresh insights.

I look forward to continuing this journey with all of you in 2025, too. Wishing everyone a joyful holiday season and another inspiring year ahead!

Christopher Lone Toe (Web Developer)

This year at Openfor.co has been defined by innovation, collaboration, and meaningful progress. We’ve accomplished so much together, from updating the user dashboard to enhance the user experience, to successfully launching two impactful boot camps that empowered entrepreneurs. Creating new features like Story, Location-Based and Pay Collab has been a testament to our commitment to innovation and meeting the evolving needs of our community.

These milestones weren’t without challenges, but each obstacle strengthened our vision and pushed us to think creatively.

As we head into 2025, I’m excited to continue driving meaningful progress, embracing innovation, and working with our incredible team to create even greater opportunities for those we serve. Here’s to another year of purpose and success!

Saw Khu Soe Po Zan (Web Developer)

2024 has been an incredible year of growth and learning for me at Openfor.co. It’s been a journey filled with opportunities to develop new skills, tackle challenges, and contribute to projects that truly matter.

One of the highlights for me has been working alongside such a dedicated and inspiring team. Each project and discussion has left me with new perspectives and valuable lessons that I’ll carry forward.

As 2025 approaches, I’m excited to keep pushing boundaries, exploring new ideas, and creating meaningful impacts through our work. Looking forward to another year of progress and shared success.

Cheers to an amazing year ahead! 🎉

9. Reflecting on 2024: Gratitude and Overcoming Challenges

In 2024, we expanded our reach significantly, engaging with a global network of companies, VCs, investors, and organizations. Through these collaborations, we fostered growth, innovation, and cross-border partnerships, bridging local and global ecosystems for greater impact. These achievements wouldn’t have been possible without the unwavering support of our mentors, partners, and the startup community, whose trust and collaboration continue to make Openfor.co a dynamic and inspiring platform.

However, this journey wasn’t without challenges. Japan's startup ecosystem in 2024 faced hurdles like a risk-averse culture, limited early-stage funding, complex regulations, and talent shortages. Scaling efforts were further hindered by domestic market constraints, language barriers, and slow digital adoption. Recognizing these barriers, Openfor.co has remained committed to building a supportive ecosystem. Our Partnership Platform connects startups with businesses to foster win-win collaborations, and our Partnership Accelerator Bootcamp equips founders with essential tools to build, launch, and grow strategic partnerships.

Through mentoring, guidance, and a global network of investors and resources, we aim to bridge gaps, nurture innovation, and empower founders to scale successfully both locally and internationally. Together, with shared opportunities and partnerships, we are addressing systemic challenges and striving to create a thriving environment for innovation in Japan, Korea, and beyond. Thank you to everyone who has been part of this journey—we look forward to shaping the future of entrepreneurship together.

10. What’s Next for Openfor.co in 2025

As we step into 2025, Openfor.co is ready to drive transformative change and expand our global impact. Building on the accomplishments of 2024, we are scaling our efforts to foster innovation, collaboration, and meaningful connections worldwide.

Our Co-Capital.co initiative is evolving to provide greater access to resources, mentorship, and strategic support for startups aiming to scale globally. By bridging East Asia and Silicon Valley, we’re creating a pathway for entrepreneurs to accelerate their growth while engaging with investors and partners to achieve shared success.

The Partnership & GTM Accelerator Bootcamp will welcome new cohorts, equipping founders with actionable strategies and tools to secure POCs, LOIs, and impactful partnerships. Our enhanced dashboards and tailored programs will make the experience seamless and results-driven.

This year, we’re introducing new platform features like location-based partner discovery, paid collaboration tools, and preset collaboration templates to streamline connections and help members unlock new opportunities for growth and monetization.

Our youth fellowship program continues to empower future leaders, providing career training, internships, and job opportunities. By bridging talent with opportunity, we’re shaping a new generation of changemakers ready to impact the world.

In 2025, we are on a mission to welcome 10,000 new collaborators to Openfor.co. This ambitious goal reflects our determination to create a momentum of a more international, connected, and collaborative world. With your support, we are confident we’ll achieve it.

Join Us in Building the FutureBe part of this global movement. Become a free member of Openfor.co to contribute to impactful projects, collaborate with innovators, and help us shape a brighter future.

📢 Here’s how to get involved:

Sign up as a free member and start exploring opportunities.
Follow us on social media to stay updated on our latest initiatives.
Invite your network to join and grow our community of collaborators.

Together, let’s create a legacy of innovation, partnerships, and progress. Support us in making 2025 a breakthrough year!

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