Rebranding of Global Corporate Collaboration Program by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups
Four Major French Conglomerates Including L'Oreal and Thales Join
Thirteen Global Corporations Participate in Fostering Domestic Startups
Domestic startups are joining forces with French global conglomerates to make a full-fledged push into overseas markets. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has unveiled the new brand name for its 'Global Corporate Collaboration Program' as 'Around X,' and aims to expand the scope of the program through partnerships with French companies.
On May 8, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it held the 'K-Startup X France Meetup Day' at the Global Startup Center in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This event was co-hosted with the Embassy of France in Korea to commemorate the participation of three major French corporations in the 'Global Corporate Collaboration Program' starting this year.
The 'Global Corporate Collaboration Program' is a public-private open innovation initiative in which the government and leading global corporations work together to support the growth and overseas expansion of domestic startups. Launched in 2019 through collaboration with Google Play, the number of participating companies has increased each year, and a total of 13 global corporations are taking part in 2025.
The participation of French companies has also been significantly expanded. Following Dassault Syst?mes, which has been involved since 2020, Thales, L'Oreal Korea, and Air Liquide have newly joined this year, bringing the total number of participating French conglomerates to four.
Dassault Syst?mes, a leading company in manufacturing software, operates the 'Daonda' program for pharmaceutical and biotech startups, providing solutions such as BIOVIA as well as education and consulting. To date, 113 startups have enhanced their technological competitiveness through this program.
L'Oreal Korea, after signing an agreement with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2023 to foster beauty tech startups, has been running the 'Big Bang' program in Korea. Starting this year, it will officially participate in the 'Global Corporate Collaboration Program' and plans to support startups in digital and research innovation.
Thales, a global leader in aerospace and cybersecurity, runs the 'Trust My Tech' program to discover and support promising deep tech startups, providing cloud platforms, specialized consulting, and education.
Air Liquide operates the 'N.E.O (New Energy-transition Opportunity)' program for eco-friendly energy startups in fields such as hydrogen and secondary batteries, supporting their technology and commercialization efforts.
At the event, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups unveiled the new name 'Around X' for the 'Global Corporate Collaboration Program.' As the program marks its seventh year and has established itself as the ministry's flagship startup support brand, the rebranding aims to strengthen its identity and enhance its global scalability. 'Around X' signifies 'infinite possibilities through connection and expansion.'
Minister Oh Youngju of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups stated, "France, with its innovative startup ecosystem, is a key partner for Korea in the startup sector," and added, "The Ministry will continue to provide strong support so that the newly rebranded 'Around X' Global Corporate Collaboration Program becomes a platform for collaboration between global corporations and our startups."
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