MSS Announces 198 Companies Pass First-Stage Screening for Second Jump-Up Cohort...Final Selection by Late March

531 Companies Apply for First Round of Jump-Up Program
Plan to Select 100 Promising Companies Each Year

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on February 22 that 198 out of 531 companies that applied for the “Jump-Up” program, which supports companies in growing into global mid-sized enterprises, have passed the first-stage evaluation.

Jump Up Program: Project Support Details. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

By the end of March, the ministry plans to conduct a second-stage evaluation that focuses on assessing future growth potential through company presentations on new business plans and expert discussions, and then finally select the second cohort of companies.

The Jump-Up Program is a three-year support initiative aimed at helping companies grow into global mid-sized enterprises, providing assistance ranging from new business entry strategies and management and technology consulting, to open vouchers, networking for investment attraction and overseas expansion, and policy linkages.

Together with professional managers, global consulting firms, and research institutes, as well as various specialized organizations such as the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs, the Korea Technology Finance Corporation, and the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, the program intensively supports the elements needed throughout the growth process.

To support commercialization costs required for new businesses, the program issues open vouchers worth 250 million won per year that companies can use at their discretion, and also operates detailed programs such as IR sessions targeting global investment firms and export support for overseas expansion.

According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the operation of the first cohort of the Jump-Up Program last year has already produced visible results. The ministry plans to select 100 promising companies every year.

Electronics company SNS, after receiving advice on business negotiation strategies from Samjong KPMG, signed a contract with Hyundai Mobis to supply more than 9 million units of communication control units (CCUs).

WeBling, a printing specialist, received support on negotiation strategies from Boston Consulting Group and succeeded in launching its products on Naver and on Ablee, a popular fashion platform.

Shoalz, a company specializing in functional footwear manufacturing, applied sensors developed by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology to its smart healthcare shoes to implement functions such as gait analysis and fall-risk detection, and showcased them at CES 2026.

Kwon Soonjae, policy chief for regional enterprises, said, “Since its launch last year, the Jump-Up Program has successfully taken root in the field, and we plan to operate the program in a more substantial way so that it can firmly establish itself as a growth partner for SMEs in the future,” adding, “We will offer a variety of business opportunities by expanding cooperation with capable private-sector experts and strengthening support for networking related to overseas expansion and investment attraction.”