KDB NextOne Busan Opening at KDB Southeast Regional Headquarters at 2 PM on the 4th
Mayor Park Hyungjun, Financial Services Commission Chairman, KDB Chairman, Busan Chamber of Commerce Chairman, and Busan Bank President to Attend
The city of Busan announced that "KDB NextONE Busan" will open on the 9th floor of the Korea Development Bank Southeast Regional Headquarters at 2 p.m. on the 4th.
Today's opening ceremony will be attended by Mayor Park Hyungjun, Financial Services Commission Chairman Kim Juhyun, Korea Development Bank President Kang Seokhoon, Busan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Yang Jaesaeng, and Busan Bank President Bang Seongbin, among others.
"NextONE Busan" has been established as a multi-purpose space on the newly renovated 9th floor of the Korea Development Bank Southeast Regional Headquarters in Jungang-dong, Busan, combining areas for startup investment presentations (IR), venture capital (VC) investor offices, and incubator company offices.
With this opening, the Korea Development Bank plans to systematically support local startups by utilizing "NextONE Busan" as a new regional hub for the "KDB NextONE" program, which aims to foster future unicorns (startups valued at over KRW 1 trillion).
The Korea Development Bank is opening "NextONE Busan" as the southern regional hub of "KDB NextONE," in line with government policies to develop Busan as a central axis for balanced national development, as well as the city's initiatives to establish an innovation startup town and create the Busan Future Growth Venture Fund, and other active support policies for startups.
"KDB NextONE" is a startup incubation program operated by the Korea Development Bank since July 2020.
Each year, 30 startups are selected, and by last year, a total of 105 companies had been chosen and incubated. Among them, 51 companies succeeded in attracting investments totaling approximately KRW 60 billion during their incubation period.
Through the opening of "NextONE Busan," the Korea Development Bank aims to expand the reach of startups via its own incubation programs (such as integrated support at Mapo FrontONE and overseas scale-up initiatives) and to use its own venture platforms (NextRound, NextRise) to extend the venture ecosystem, previously centered in the Seoul metropolitan area, to the regions. This is expected to contribute to balanced national development and the revitalization of local venture ecosystems.
The city plans to use the opening of "NextONE Busan" as an opportunity to strengthen customized support for local companies in connection with the planned innovation startup town in Bukhang. It is expected that this will produce visible results in revitalizing the startup ecosystem even before the Korea Development Bank relocates.
The city also plans to actively utilize the Korea Development Bank's venture platforms, overseas network development (accelerating), and know-how to support investment attraction, business linkage, and overseas expansion for manufacturing-based startups in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region, as well as to strengthen financial support through the creation of funds for early-stage companies and both direct and indirect investments.
Mayor Park Hyungjun stated, "The opening of the Korea Development Bank's 'NextONE Busan' will not only revitalize the local venture startup scene but also serve as an exemplary case leading the era of regional development. I especially thank the Korea Development Bank for opening the first such center in Busan, and our city will continue to cooperate with the bank to create a unique and sustainable startup ecosystem for Busan."
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