Jinju City Hosts Jinju Startup Innovation Hub 'Startup Day'

Investment Attraction and Growth Support Program Established
Startup Company Exhibition Also Held Until the 13th

Jinju City in Gyeongnam announced on the 12th that the Sangpyeon Innovation Support Center (Jinju Startup Support Center) held the 2024 Jinju Startup Innovation Hub ‘Startup Day’.

The Jinju Startup Innovation Hub is a council composed of Jinju City, Gyeongsang National University, Small and Medium Business Corporation, Gyeongnam Creative Economy Innovation Center, and others to activate the startup ecosystem by establishing a startup network support system and concentrating startup functions to support startup education and commercialization.

To revitalize the startup ecosystem, about 100 people including startup company representatives, investors, and startup support officials attended the event, marking a major turning point for the future of startups in Jinju.

Group photo of the 2024 Jinju Startup Innovation Hub "Startup Day" event.

The event featured various programs supporting the growth of startups, such as an IR Demo Day where startups presented their business models to investors, special lectures by senior entrepreneurs, open consultation booths related to investment, financing, and startups, and an exhibition of outstanding local startup companies.

At the IR Demo Day, eight startup companies from the Jinju area had the opportunity to directly present their business models and growth strategies to investors and receive feedback. External investment experts participated as judges to provide practical advice to the startups.

The grand prize at the IR Demo Day was awarded to CEO Choi Chang-ho of high-quality, high-efficiency, highly dispersed graphene, recognized for innovative technology and growth potential. The excellence awards went to CEO Jung Woo-cheol of water fleas and plant-based plankton (other feed manufacturing), CEO Lee Dae-hwa of non-face-to-face veterinary consultation services for pets, and CEO Kim Sung-jae of SO-type clinical orders and support.

Various startup lectures helpful to entrepreneurs also followed. In the first lecture, Director Kim Do-beom of Stars Tech shared strategies to overcome the difficulties of starting a business, providing entrepreneurs with practical experiences. In the second lecture, CEO Shin Su-ji of Startable introduced successful IR pitching strategies, delivering hands-on know-how to captivate investors.

Along with this, an open consultation booth involving experts in startups, investment, and financing was operated to provide tailored mentoring to early-stage entrepreneurs.

Additionally, from the 11th to the 13th, a three-day startup company exhibition was held on the day of the Jinju Startup Innovation Hub ‘Startup Day,’ introducing and promoting products from 30 promising startup companies in the Jinju area to citizens.

CEO Kim Bo-young of Onity, who participated in the IR Demo Day, said, “It was a valuable time to strengthen business capabilities and expand networking, and practical support programs such as IR presentations and consultation booths were very helpful.”

Mayor Cho Gyu-il stated, “‘Startup Day’ will go beyond a simple event to become an opportunity for promising local startups to grow into unicorn companies expanding globally, contributing to the revitalization of the regional economy. We will continue to discover and implement policies to support startup companies.”

Meanwhile, Jinju City plans to continuously prepare programs that provide practical help to entrepreneurs through various startup supports and will continue efforts to further activate the local startup ecosystem and create an environment where startup companies can grow.