KB Financial Group to Recruit 'KB Starters' for the Second Half of the Year

KB Financial Group is recruiting startups within three years of establishment for the second half of 2023 'KB Starters' program to support startups until the 31st of this month.

Startups selected as KB Starters will be provided with various programs, including collaborative projects linked with KB Kookmin Bank and other KB Financial affiliates.

In this recruitment, startups with high growth potential will be selected from various fields such as ▲new technology areas like ChatGPT and generative artificial intelligence (AI) ▲non-financial sectors such as real estate, healthcare, and mobility ▲financial linkage areas including payment, content, data, and security token offerings (STO) ▲environmental, social, and governance (ESG) areas. In particular, startups possessing business models and technologies related to generative AI will be actively given opportunities.

KB Financial will select about 20 startups as the second half of 2023 KB Starters around the end of September through a first-round document screening and a second-round face-to-face evaluation, assessing technological innovation, growth potential, and collaboration possibilities.

Additionally, judging panelists will include internal and external investment experts such as KB Financial affiliate employees including those in charge of the CVC fund and fintech innovation fund operators, aiming to discover promising startups with competitiveness.

Startups selected as KB Starters will be provided with various programs at different growth stages, including 'startup-exclusive office space' located in Gwanak-gu, Seoul, management support consulting such as tax, accounting, legal, and patent services, investment attraction support, and collaborative projects with KB Financial affiliates.

Since 2015, KB Financial has been operating the startup nurturing program 'KB Starters.' Through this, a total of 232 startups have been selected, receiving investments and support amounting to 160.4 billion KRW, and 285 collaborative projects have been promoted with KB Financial affiliates.