Ministry of SMEs and Startups Recruiting Prospective Entrepreneurs and Companies... Up to 70 Million Won Support

Recruitment for Pre-Startup and Early Startup Packages
Applications Accepted Starting on the 24th

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has announced measures to nurture promising prospective entrepreneurs and startup companies. They plan to provide commercialization funds of up to 70 million KRW, divided into the Pre-Startup Package and the Early Startup Package.

On the 17th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the recruitment of prospective entrepreneurs and startup companies to participate in the 2025 Pre-Startup Package and Early Startup Package projects. The Pre-Startup Package and Early Startup Package are representative startup support programs of the ministry. Their purpose is to select promising prospective entrepreneurs and startup companies with innovative ideas or technologies. They support startup programs in various fields such as business model advancement, market entry, investment, and demonstration, as well as provide commercialization funds for product development, production, and marketing.

Pre-Startup Package... Selecting About 780 Candidates

The Pre-Startup Package is open to prospective entrepreneurs. In this recruitment, about 660 candidates will be selected in the general field without restrictions, and about 60 candidates each in the women and social venture fields, totaling approximately 780 prospective entrepreneurs. Selected prospective entrepreneurs will be provided with programs necessary for the startup preparation process, such as mentoring, education, networking, and business model (BM) concretization, along with commercialization funds.

Notably, this year, a differential support method will be introduced where selected prospective entrepreneurs will first receive commercialization funds (up to 20 million KRW), and after a separate evaluation of business plan implementation, additional funds (up to 40 million KRW) will be provided. Furthermore, mentoring from senior companies will be expanded, increasing opportunities to share business operation know-how from experienced companies.

Applicants must be those who, as of the announcement date, have not registered a business or established a corporation, and those who have closed their business since January of this year are excluded from eligibility.

Meanwhile, the 'In-house Venture Development Program,' a specialized field within the Pre-Startup Package, supports excellent technical personnel from companies operating in-house venture systems in large, medium, small, and public institutions to challenge entrepreneurship. Starting this year, about 30 in-house venture teams will be publicly recruited to activate participation. In particular, the documents required from operating companies and in-house venture teams will be significantly simplified, and the operating company requirements will be verified after the selection of in-house venture teams to enhance user convenience.

Early Startup Package... Selecting About 430 Companies

The Early Startup Package supports the stable market settlement and growth of early startup companies that have been established for less than three years. This year, about 430 companies will be selected. Selected early startup companies will be provided with programs such as demonstration, consulting, and initial investment attraction for market settlement, as well as commercialization funds (averaging 70 million KRW).

This year, through in-depth interviews, the technological feasibility and growth potential of startup items will be thoroughly verified, and sector-specific IR sessions will be held semiannually to expand investment attraction opportunities for early startup companies.

Applications and submissions are made through the official K-Startup website. Applications for the Pre-Startup Package will be accepted from the 24th of this month until 4 p.m. on the 12th of next month, and for the Early Startup Package from the 24th of this month until 4 p.m. on the 11th of next month.

After application and submission, final recipients will be selected through document evaluation, separate verification procedures, and presentation evaluations. From the end of April, startup programs and commercialization funds will be provided. The separate procedures refer to education and mentoring for business model concretization for the Pre-Startup Package, and in-depth interviews to assess the concreteness and feasibility of business plans for the Early Startup Package.

Detailed information can be found in the recruitment announcement on the official K-Startup website, and inquiries can also be made through the integrated call center. Jo Kyung-won, Director of Startup Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "Through the Pre-Startup and Early Startup packages, which are support projects for each growth stage of startup companies, we will actively support the challenges and innovations of prospective entrepreneurs and the growth and leap of startup companies."