15 Korean Startup CEOs Included in Forbes' '30 Under 30' Leaders List

A total of 300 people selected in Asia, including 23 Koreans
Ministry of SMEs and Startups: "Young startup achievements steadily recognized overseas"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Fifteen young Korean startup CEOs were included in Forbes magazine's '2021 Asia 30 Under 30 Leaders.'

On the 21st, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that on the 19th (local time), the American business magazine Forbes selected 23 Koreans, including 15 Korean startup representatives, as 'Asia 30 Under 30 Leaders.'

Forbes annually announces young leaders under 30 in 10 fields such as finance and venture capital, consumer technology, enterprise technology, and arts across regions including the United States, Canada, Asia, Europe, and Africa. In the Asia region, 300 individuals were selected, 30 from each of the 10 fields.

This year, a total of 23 Koreans were selected as Asia 30 Under 30 Leaders. Among them, 15 were startup representatives. Notably, all the selected young startups participated in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' startup support programs.

An official from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, "Forbes counts one person per startup even if there are multiple co-CEOs. Although the number decreased compared to last year (21 people), it is similar to previous years," adding, "This means that the achievements of our young startups are steadily recognized overseas."

All 15 young startups participated in the Ministry's startup support projects such as TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup), preliminary and early startup packages, and startup support service voucher projects, receiving support for early-stage commercialization and mentoring.

Carpenstreet (CEOs Lee Min-hong, Seo Jeong-su) operates the online platform 'Acorn3D,' which enables 3D designs and models from various industries such as cafe interiors and building exteriors to be used in creative fields like webtoons, illustrations, and games. Also named were Devotion Food (CEOs Lee Yong-min, Park Hyung-soo), which develops plant-based alternative meat that replicates the taste of real meat, and Slick Corporation (CEO Choi Dae-ho), an AI-based exercise and health management platform company.

Besides young startup CEOs, young professionals related to companies such as Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and Chief Operating Officers (COOs) were also selected this time, and some are known to be actual co-founders.

Minister Kwon Chil-seung of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups said, "Earlier this year, our startups won numerous 'CES Innovation Awards' at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES)," adding, "This announcement once again confirms that the excellent achievements of our young startups are recognized overseas."

He continued, "Going forward, we will do our best to reflect the voices of young people in the field so that more young people can challenge entrepreneurship and expand into the global market."