Busan to Host Korea's Only 'AI Startup School' in Partnership with Google

Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Hyungjoon) will operate the '2025 AI Startup School' in cooperation with Google (Google for Startups) from August 27 to September 30, 2025.

The Startup School is a hands-on entrepreneurship education program operated by Google in major cities around the world. This year, the program will focus on the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and Busan is the only city in Korea to host the event.

The program will be held every Wednesday for two hours starting at 5 p.m., for a total of six sessions. Anyone interested in AI, including prospective entrepreneurs and early-stage startups, can participate. Lectures will be given by Monica Kang, founder of InnovatorBox (3 sessions), current Google employees (2 sessions), and the CEO of a domestic AI startup (1 session). For the fourth and fifth sessions, Google Cloud engineers will participate to introduce hands-on AI technology training and how to use Google AI tools.

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis for each session, and participants can select only the sessions they need for a customized experience. The program will also be broadcast live online in real time, opening opportunities for participants from other regions.

On-site graduates will receive benefits such as preferential consideration in next year's Busan Startup Package Project screening, opportunities to participate in investment presentations (IR), mentoring from investors, and additional points when applying for major Google programs. Some graduates will also be able to participate in a Google Startup Campus tour and networking events.

Before the official program begins, a 'Special Startup Pocha' event will be held on August 26. Mayor Park Hyungjoon, Kim Kyunghoon, President of Google Korea, and about 130 startup stakeholders from the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam region will attend. In addition, there will be a Google expert session and a talk session with promising startup CEOs.

Nam Dongwoo, Director of Financial Startup Policy at Busan Metropolitan City, emphasized, "The AI Startup School is the only program of its kind in Korea this year, held exclusively in Busan," and added, "We will further advance the local startup ecosystem through collaboration with global companies."

Busan City Hall