Promising Brand Small Businesses Gather... Ministry of SMEs and Startups Hosts TOPS Awards

Hojae FS Takes First Place in This Year's TOPS Pitching
Lee Byungkwon, Second Vice Minister: "We Will Continue Support That Small Businesses Can Truly Feel"

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it held the 'TOPS (Online Brand Small Business Development Project) Awards' at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul, on the 16th.

TOPS is a project in which ten leading tier platforms in each sector directly discover promising brand small businesses and support their step-by-step online market entry through platform-specific specialized programs. Over the past year, a total of 3,022 companies were identified and nurtured, with platforms providing additional mutual growth support by leveraging their own infrastructure in addition to government funding.

Lee Byungkwon, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is delivering a congratulatory speech at the "2025 TOPS Awards" held on the 16th at the Kensington Hotel in Yeouido, Seoul. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

At the event, a pitching competition was held for the 'TOP-STAR' (10 companies) selected through a national online vote from among the 30 'TOPS of the Year' companies that advanced to the third stage of the TOPS project, overcoming a competition rate of 100 to 1. The first place went to Hojae FS, the Jokbal and Bossam brand from Appa Sikdang, which participated in Gmarket's specialized program.

Following this, during the performance sharing session, there were presentations on the overall achievements of the TOPS project, as well as reports on the operation and results of platform-specific specialized programs by Kakao and Grip, and case studies on the growth of outstanding small businesses.

Commendations were also awarded. A total of 15 awards were presented, including five Minister’s Commendations, five Minister’s Awards, and five CEO Awards from the Korea Small & Medium Business Distribution Center, to small businesses that excelled in the pitching competition and organizations that contributed to strengthening online brands.

Lee Byungkwon, Second Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, "We will continue to implement practical support policies that small businesses can truly feel in the field, such as utilizing the expertise and infrastructure of platforms as tools for mutual growth."