Recruitment Open Until the 14th of Next Month
20 Teams to Be Selected
Asan Nanum Foundation announced on the 17th that it is recruiting early-stage startups to participate in this year’s ‘Asan Voyager’ program.
‘Asan Voyager’ is a program that discovers and supports early-stage software-based startups preparing to enter the U.S. market. It provides multifaceted support, including local stay subsidies, coaching to strengthen commercialization capabilities, seminars, and regular community programs, to help early-stage startups successfully enter overseas markets. Starting this year, Asan Voyager will operate an accelerating program linked with the ‘Global Track’ of the Jeong Ju-young Startup Competition and introduce a final team evaluation process for the demo day participants.
The recruitment target is early-stage startups established within five years. The CEO or co-founders must be Korean or Korean-descendant foreigners. Additionally, the company must be a web or mobile-based software enterprise and possess at least a minimum viable product (MVP). A total of 20 teams will be selected.
Participating teams will receive systematic support from the Asan Nanum Foundation. First, up to 20 million KRW will be provided for local stay expenses in the U.S., including airfare and accommodation. When participating in overseas events such as CES, teams can receive an additional support of up to 5 million KRW through the ‘Maru Overseas Expansion Benefit.’ Furthermore, membership startup support qualifications will be granted to use ‘MaruSF,’ scheduled to open this year, along with access to shared workspaces and meeting rooms at ‘Maru360.’ Customized growth support programs for global expansion will also be offered.
Moreover, in the second half of this year, teams will have the opportunity to present their U.S. market entry achievements at the demo day of the Jeong Ju-young Startup Competition and introduce their business to attendees, including investors. A total of eight teams will take the demo day stage as finalists of the Jeong Ju-young Startup Competition Global Track, and the finalists will be awarded a total prize of 170 million KRW, including a grand prize of 50 million KRW.
Applications can be submitted on the official website of the Jeong Ju-young Startup Competition until the 14th of next month. After document and interview evaluations, the final selected teams will be announced on April 2. Details of the Asan Voyager recruitment guidelines can be found on the Jeong Chang-kyung ‘Global Track’ detailed page and social networking service (SNS) channels.
Huh Yeona, head of the Global Team at Asan Nanum Foundation, said, “Many early-stage startups start their business by turning their eyes to large-scale overseas markets from the beginning. Through the ‘Asan Voyager’ program, Asan Nanum Foundation will spare no effort to support early startup teams to successfully settle in the U.S. market and focus on business growth.”
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