StartRun Officially Launches Accelerating Center... Full-Scale Startup Investment and Nurturing Initiatives Begin

Startup acceleration specialist company StartRun announced on May 8 that it has officially launched its Accelerating Center and will begin full-scale investment and support activities for early-stage startups.

Founded in 2016, StartRun is a total solution provider for startups, supporting the entire startup growth cycle through IR pitching training, step-by-step startup consulting, and pitch deck creation. In October last year, the company received approval from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to register as an accelerator (startup planner, AC), expanding its business scope to include early-stage startup investment and preparing to become a specialized accelerator.

Through the newly launched Accelerating Center, StartRun plans to form investment funds and directly invest in startups. Previously, the company operated its business by managing programs entrusted by accelerator partners. However, with the launch of the Accelerating Center, StartRun has transformed into a specialized accelerator investment firm that independently manages everything from startup investment to nurturing and education.

To strengthen its early-stage startup investment screening and acceleration capabilities, StartRun has also recruited specialized personnel. Seo-Yul Lee, Head of the StartRun Accelerating Center, previously served as Head of the Sejong Management Research Institute AC Incubation Center and has accumulated hands-on startup experience as a youth CEO evaluator at the Chungnam Industry-Academic Convergence Institute. In-Tae Cha, Head of the Investment Division at the StartRun Accelerating Center, is an expert in corporate IR and investment, having led the IR/PR team at IR consulting specialist K-Ron Partners and overseen IR and PR at Neurofit, a medical imaging AI startup.

The StartRun Accelerating Center plans to launch its first batch program, "Mark 215," in the first half of this year and recruit startups interested in participating. Through the "Mark 215" program, the center aims to discover promising startups, provide both nurturing and investment, and lay the foundation for rapid growth.

Jihyo Sun, CEO of StartRun, stated, "While traditional ACs focus more on investment than acceleration, StartRun aims to become a partner that supports the entire early-stage startup journey by providing professional acceleration programs as well as investment. Starting with our first batch program, 'Mark 215,' we intend to create a new AC model that combines nurturing and investment, transforming the AC ecosystem as a true game-changer."