Seoul Youth Spread 'Startup Wings' Nationwide... Seoul City Launches 6th Cohort of 'NextLocal'

Seoul City Launches 'Next Local,' a Flagship Youth Startup Project for Regional Coexistence
Supports Discovery of Startup Items through Local Research and Links Transportation Expense Support
Mayor Oh Se-hoon Attends Kickoff Ceremony with Private Company CEOs to Show Support

The 6th cohort of 'Next Local,' Seoul's representative regional win-win youth startup support project, has newly launched. Selected young entrepreneurs aged 19 to 39 will carry out startup activities in 19 local governments linked with the city.

According to Seoul City on the 4th, the launch ceremony for the 6th cohort of 'Next Local,' now in its 6th year, was held this afternoon at the Design Hall on the 3rd floor of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Dongdaemun-gu.

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon is taking a commemorative photo holding a placard with a message supporting young entrepreneurs together with participants at the 2024 Next Local Launch Ceremony held at the DDP Design Hall on the 4th.
[Photo by Seoul City]

Next Local is a regional win-win youth startup support project that started in Seoul and is expanding nationwide. Currently, the regions linked with Seoul City include a total of 19 locations: Gangneung, Hoengseong, Yeongwol, Yanggu, and Inje in Gangwon; Jecheon, Goesan, and Danyang in Chungbuk; Hongseong and Seocheon in Chungnam; Iksan in Jeonbuk; Mokpo, Gangjin, Jangheung, and Haenam in Jeonnam; Yeongju and Sangju in Gyeongbuk; Tongyeong and Hamyang in Gyeongnam. Earlier in April, Seoul City signed business agreements with Lotte Card (Think Us) and Korea Water Resources Corporation (Dam Surrounding Area Support Project) to support sales channels for youth startup teams and to revitalize the Next Local project.

First, Seoul City supports the selected 66 teams (112 people) with 1 million KRW for transportation and accommodation expenses over two months to discover startup items with high success potential through thorough local resource surveys. Young entrepreneurs can choose up to three regions and conduct surveys based on the diversity and potential of each area.

A 'Regional Partner Community' will also be operated to serve as a communication and cooperation channel between youth and local communities. The regional partners, consisting of a total of 117 people (from 19 local governments), will assist Seoul youth entrepreneurs during the two-month local survey period by providing on-site item verification and facilitating smooth connections with local governments, private experts, local producers, and processing centers. After the local resource survey, a pilot project will be promoted to select about 20 teams through a startup competition and provide up to 20 million KRW in project funding.

At the launch ceremony, products and services from senior entrepreneurs were exhibited to support the start of the 6th cohort of Next Local youth. The exhibition showcased 19 unique products born through various collaborations with local communities, centered around four themes: ▲ Designing the region ▲ Meeting local artists ▲ Solving local problems ▲ Growing together with the region. Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who attended the event, said, "Through Next Local, young people in their 20s and 30s in Seoul realize their dreams and ideas in local areas," adding, "Seeing how it breathes new life into communities stagnated by population decline, Next Local seems to be a solution for regional win-win development."