Seongdong-gu Hosts the 8th Seoul Forest Social Venture Expo

Festival to Share Social Venture Achievements and Communicate Together Held for 3 Days from October 11 in Seongsu-dong Understand Avenue Area... Meeting and Coexistence Venue with Over 160 Social Venture Companies Nationwide under the Theme of Working and Enjoying 'Community City Seongsu'

Seongdong-gu, Seoul (Mayor Jung Won-oh) will hold the 8th Seoul Forest Social Venture Expo, the largest festival for social ventures, from the 11th to the 13th in the Seongsu-dong Understand Avenue area.

The Seoul Forest Social Venture Expo is a festival to share the achievements of social ventures that create social value and to communicate together. Seongsu-dong, where the festival is held, is home to over 560 social venture companies, intermediary support organizations, and impact investment institutions, forming a unique ecosystem called the ‘Seongsu Social Venture Valley.’

Recently, it has been developing into a ‘Community City’ that breaks down boundaries between organizations to build relationships and solve local community problems together.

Under the theme of ‘Seongsu, a Community City for Work and Enjoyment,’ this year’s expo will feature participation from over 160 social venture companies nationwide.

On the first day of the festival, the 11th, the opening ceremony will include the ‘Community City Seongsu’ conference, which shares opportunities, possibilities, and social problem-solving models within the community. Various programs for social venture members will also be offered, including Impact Insight, a meeting place for investors; special lectures and networking to expand the startup ESG ecosystem; and portfolio lectures for job seekers in impact jobs.

Additionally, the awards ceremony for the ‘Social Venture Innovation Competition’ will be held. On September 27th, the district held the Social Venture Innovation Competition targeting social ventures nationwide and selected 15 companies that presented creative and innovative business models. These companies will receive a total of 125 million KRW in business development funds. This year, the support scale has expanded from 11 companies last year to 15 companies through collaboration with leading innovative companies such as KT&G, Musinsa, Sampyo, and Socar.

During the festival, visitors can also experience exhibitions themed on changes in impact jobs and the Seongsu community ecosystem. A ‘National Social Venture Pop-up Store,’ which gathers products from over 60 social venture companies nationwide in a pop-up store format, will also be held, providing a diverse meeting place with social ventures.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “I hope this Social Venture Expo will be a festival where social venture companies share their achievements and communicate together, and a stepping stone for greater growth. Recently, Seongsu-dong, known as the ‘Brooklyn of Korea,’ was ranked 4th among the world’s coolest neighborhoods and recognized as ‘Seongsu in the world.’ We will spare no support so that innovative young entrepreneurs and artists can carry out more active activities.”