New Startup Hub 'Stage' Opens Next to Gwangju Station Railway

29 Startup Companies Moving In Sequentially
Some Common Areas Still Under Construction
Full-Scale Operations Scheduled to Begin in May

Behind Gwangju Station, next to an old railway, an unfamiliar building has risen. It is a startup support space named 'Bitgoeul Startup Station.' On the 14th, when visiting the site, entrepreneurs were quietly moving in among offices where moving boxes were still unpacked.

The exterior view of 'Bitgoeul Startup Station,' a startup support complex located near Gwangju Station. Photo by Song Bohyun

According to Gwangju City, move-ins for 'Bitgoeul Startup Station' (STA·G) will be completed within this month. Through a recruitment process in February, 29 startup companies and one support organization were confirmed as tenants, and the relocation is currently underway in stages.

In addition to 41 dedicated office spaces for startups and 5 spaces for investment institutions, various support facilities such as a shared office, meeting rooms, cafeteria, and rooftop garden have also been prepared.

There were still traces of construction at the site. On one side of the first-floor lounge, metal scaffolding and boxes of materials were stacked, and some walls were still being finished.

Hong Nasoon, Head of Startup Promotion at Gwangju City, explained, "The building has been completed, and we are currently finishing the interior work. Most of it is expected to be done by early May, and the common areas are already available for use."

Startup support programs are also being launched in phases. Gwangju City plans to operate practical investment-linked programs here, such as IR (Investor Relations), meetups, and investment challenges. Hong added, "Some programs started last week, and full-scale operations will begin in May."

A view of the 'Bitgoeul Startup Station' built next to the railway tracks at Gwangju Station. It is a complex support facility where startup companies and investment institutions co-reside. Provided by Gwangju City

Gwangju City is also working to have investment institutions stationed in the building. One has already moved in, and the remaining VCs (venture capital firms) and ACs (accelerators) are preparing to move in. In addition, public-private partnership programs to support startups?such as open innovation, global expansion, and accelerating?are also planned for the future.

Bitgoeul Startup Station is the first facility of an urban regeneration project that transforms unused land near Gwangju Station into startup infrastructure. Gwangju City plans to complete the 'Gwangju Station Startup Valley' by 2027 by adding a complex hub center, a corporate innovation growth center, and a social economy innovation town.