"Venture Achievements Drive National Competitiveness"... Innovation Venture Industry Hosts New Year Meeting

Over 200 Industry Leaders, Including Minister Han Sung-sook, Gather
Commitment to Mutual Cooperation for Becoming a Top Four Venture Powerhouse

The innovation and venture industry has reaffirmed its commitment to mutual cooperation in the Year of the Fire Horse, aiming to become one of the world’s top four venture powerhouses.

On January 22, five organizations-including the Korea Women Venture Association, Korea Venture Business Association, Korea Venture Capital Association, Korea Early Stage Investment Accelerator Association, and Korea Startup Forum-jointly hosted the "2026 Innovation Venture Industry New Year's Meeting" at EL Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul. The event, held under the theme "Innovation Venture Industry’s Leap Toward Becoming a Top Four Venture Powerhouse," was attended by over 200 venture entrepreneurs and industry officials, including Han Sung-sook, Minister of SMEs and Startups.

On the 22nd, attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the 2026 Innovation Venture Industry New Year's Meeting held at EL Tower in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

Seong Mi-sook, President of the Korea Women Venture Association, stated, "In line with the government’s strategy to become one of the world’s top four venture powerhouses, we will lead the rapid growth of our economy based on the diversity of the innovation venture ecosystem." She emphasized, "We will strengthen our role as a bridge for public-private communication so that government policies and business practices are organically connected to achieve tangible results. We will focus all our capabilities on enabling innovation-driven entrepreneurs to take pride, embrace challenges, and create new history."

During the subsequent "Innovation Venture New Year Vision Keynote," the heads of the co-hosting organizations took the stage to present each association’s core strategies and action plans. They identified the establishment of a virtuous cycle of investment, growth, and exit, as well as the enhancement of global competitiveness, as common priorities.

President Seong highlighted funding and global expansion for ventures and startups as key tasks. She said, "We will build a strong investment bridge to ensure that women-led ventures and startups do not miss the golden time for fundraising, and we will strengthen the World Women Venture Forum as a practical, matching-oriented global platform."

Song Byung-jun, President of the Korea Venture Business Association, remarked, "The achievements of Korea’s ventures are directly linked to national competitiveness. We will enhance on-site execution and establish a virtuous cycle of investment and growth by expanding venture finance and supporting scaling up, so that promising ventures can secure global competitiveness."

Kim Hak-gyun, President of the Korea Venture Capital Association, focused on expanding investment resources and improving the exit market. He stressed, "We will normalize the virtuous cycle of investment by using finance as a catalyst to attract private capital, creating funds to vitalize the KOSDAQ market, and activating the M&A and secondary markets."

Jeon Hwaseong, President of the Korea Early Stage Investment Accelerator Association, stated, "Accelerators that help ultra-early-stage startups get started and take off will be key to building a sustainable startup ecosystem." He added, "We will lead a healthy startup ecosystem by promoting investment diversity, improving regulations, and enhancing the exit environment for early-stage investments."

Han Sangwoo, Chair of the Korea Startup Forum, said, "As a partner in shaping the national strategy for the era of global artificial intelligence transformation (AX), startups will become an execution platform that can demonstrate AX and global expansion in the field."

The event also featured case presentations from venture company CEOs. Kim Hyo-yi, CEO of Inertia, gave a lecture on global partnerships and overseas expansion strategies in the bio and eco-friendly materials sector, emphasizing the importance of business models based on market demand and securing leadership in global technology standards.

Minister Han stated, "I hope that the innovation venture organizations gathered here today will become reliable partners by sharing their experiences and wisdom, and by collaborating across industries and sectors. In 2026, we will do our utmost to ensure that policies are even more effectively implemented in the field."