Korea VC Association Hosts Korea's First Graduate Student Venture Investment Competition

"Youth Venture Investment Specialist Training"
Active VC Mentoring and Mock Investment Review
Support for Outstanding Teams to Participate in International Competitions

The Korea Venture Capital Association (KVC Association) is accepting applications for the 'Korea Graduate Student Venture Investment Competition (UVICK)' until the 12th of next month to train young venture investment professionals. The competition is part of a global young venture investment talent development program piloted by the KVC Association, hosted by KAIST, and sponsored by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Korea Venture Investment Corp.

According to the KVC Association on the 29th, unlike the traditional one-on-one apprenticeship training, this program intensively cultivates venture investment professionals through a systematic curriculum and mentoring by active experts. Notably, from the early stages of training, it aims to instill global investment capabilities and peer networks from various countries.

Participants will learn the venture investment mechanism through practical simulated investments and compete in a domestic competition. Teams selected as outstanding will participate in the international competition, the U.S. Venture Capital Investment Competition (VCIC), where they can build global networks with young investors from around the world. The U.S. VCIC is a competition where university (graduate) students evaluate startup business plans and conduct simulated investments, which are then assessed by active judges. Since its inception in the U.S., it has been held over 50 times annually across four continents as an educational event.

The Korea Graduate Student Venture Investment Competition will recruit participating universities in early next month and select about six schools. During the summer vacation in August, a practical VC training schedule will be conducted for the selected universities' graduate student venture investment teams. The competition and selection of outstanding teams will take place in mid-December.

Yoon Geon-su, chairman of the KVC Association, stated, "Globalization is paramount for the sustainable growth of the venture investment ecosystem. Through the investment capability enhancement education provided by the KVC Association and the Korea VC Training Institute, we will promote the first domestic venture investment competition and support participation in international competitions."

Universities and graduate students wishing to participate in the program can contact the KVC Association Education and Training Team or the KAIST Center for Entrepreneurship, and apply through the center's website.