'Navy-Startup Voyage' Mini Hackathon Held
13 Teams to Be Selected for the Finals
Universities and the military have joined forces to support young service members in their entrepreneurial pursuits.
The Busan National University Startup Support Group, which was selected as an entrepreneurship-centered university by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, has launched a practical program in collaboration with the Republic of Korea Navy to enhance the entrepreneurial capabilities of Navy personnel.
From May 20 to 21, the Busan National University (President Choi Jaewon) Startup Support Group held the 'Navy-Startup Voyage' program at the seminar room of Central Hotel in Haeundae, Busan. The event featured a mini hackathon and an IR (investment pitching) competition for 26 teams that passed the document screening round of the Navy Startup Competition.
Busan National University Startup Support Group is hosting the 'Navy-Startup Voyage' hackathon. Photo by Busan National University
This event served as a preliminary program for the Navy Startup Competition, which is organized by the Navy. The top 13 teams will be selected through the final pitching evaluation scheduled for May 27. These teams will go on to compete in the '2025 Defense Startup Challenge' hosted by the Ministry of National Defense. Teams that pass this challenge will represent the Ministry of National Defense in the 'All-Ministry Challenge! K-Startup 2025' preliminary startup league, which will be held in September.
The Navy Startup Competition is designed to discover creative ideas from service members and to promote an entrepreneurial culture within the military. In particular, the program is strengthening public-private-military cooperation systems to increase the market entry potential of service members who possess technology-based startup items.
During the mini hackathon, a focused program was held to help participants develop their ideas into viable businesses, with customized mentoring provided by startup experts. The IR competition, which closely simulated real-world conditions, sparked participants' competitive spirit and was met with enthusiastic response.
The Busan National University Startup Support Group plans to continue supporting Navy personnel at every stage, including business planning, market analysis, and technology development, to help transform their ideas into startup items. The group also intends to further refine its cooperation model with the military based on its startup infrastructure and networks.
Kang Jungeun, head of the Busan National University Startup Support Group (professor of urban engineering), said, "This program has provided a real opportunity for the Navy's creative ideas to be realized as actual startups," adding, "We will create a structure where military personnel and young entrepreneurs can generate mutual synergy."
Busan National University and the Navy plan to continue strengthening their cooperation through joint programs to spread youth entrepreneurship culture and foster an entrepreneurial ecosystem within the military.
Busan National University Startup Support Group is holding a commemorative photo after hosting the 'Navy-Startup Voyage' hackathon. Photo by Busan National University
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