Gyeonggi Province Recruiting Pet Industry Startups...Up to 35 Million Won in Support

Support for 20 Prospective and Early-Stage Startups
Commercialization Funds and Customized Package Programs
Expanded Participation of Social Economy Organizations
Online Applications Accepted Until March 16

Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Institute of Economics and Science Promotion (hereinafter referred to as Gyeonggi Institute) are recruiting participants for the project titled "2026 Pet Industry Startup Discovery and Startup Support."

Exterior view of the Gyeonggi Provincial Government. Provided by Gyeonggi Province.

The "Pet Industry Startup Discovery and Startup Support" project is designed to discover and nurture promising entrepreneurs in the pet industry sector. This year, beyond financial support, the program will focus on operating growth-support initiatives that help early-stage companies gain a foothold in the market and further refine their business models. In addition, post-program support will be strengthened, including expanding opportunities to participate in demo days where founders can present their business models to investors.

When selecting beneficiaries, the province plans to introduce additional scoring for social economy organizations such as social enterprises and social ventures based in Gyeonggi Province, in order to support the discovery of win-win cooperation models.

The program targets 20 early-stage startups within three years of founding and prospective entrepreneurs based in Gyeonggi Province. Depending on evaluation results, up to 30 million won in commercialization funds will be provided to early-stage founders and up to 20 million won to prospective founders, on a differentiated basis. For the three best-performing companies in the IR (investor relations) demo day, an additional incentive of up to 5 million won will be provided, bringing total support to as much as 35 million won.

Along with financial assistance, a "one-stop package" program will be operated in parallel to support the substantial growth of companies. Specifically, the program will provide customized support across all essential early-stage startup processes, including: specialized education in the pet industry, one-on-one intensive mentoring by experts, investment consulting and networking, and media promotion.

The recruitment areas cover the entire pet industry based on technological capabilities, including premium pet food, health and care products, grooming and fashion items, and ICT (information and communications technology)-converged products. However, small-business-type startups such as pet shops or simple wholesale, retail, and distribution businesses are excluded from eligibility.

Byeon Heejung, Head of the Pet Industry Division at Gyeonggi Province, said, "The innovative technologies of startups will become a key driving force not only for quantitative industrial growth but also for creating social value and expanding the foundation for win-win cooperation within the industry," adding, "We will spare no policy support so that capable entrepreneurs can grow into globally competitive small but strong companies in Gyeonggi Province."

Entrepreneurs in Gyeonggi Province who wish to participate in the project can apply online through the Gyeonggi Startup Platform from February 24 until 3:00 p.m. on March 16.