Applications open through June 19 across six sectors including AI/big data, healthcare/biotech and fintech; eligible startups must be within seven years of founding with a presence in Gangnam-gu; top performers receive tiered commercialization grants
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Gangnam-gu is accepting applications through June 19 for its "Future Industry-Based Enterprise Activation Support Project," a program designed to help promising startups in emerging technology sectors grow.
The initiative, run jointly by Gangnam-gu and The Invention Lab (CEO Kim Jin-young), aims to identify companies with strong technology and growth potential in fields such as AI/big data, healthcare/biotech and fintech, then provide end-to-end support covering corporate partnerships, investment attraction, commercialization and global market entry.
The program is open across six sectors: AI/big data, healthcare/biotech, financial technology/fintech, Cloud/AX, robotics/mobility and ICT convergence. Eight companies will be selected through a document screening followed by an in-person review. Applicants must be pre-founders or companies within seven years of founding that have a business office, branch or research center in Gangnam-gu as of the application date.
Selected companies will first undergo a one-on-one diagnostic to assess their growth stage and business model, after which key performance indicators and a tailored development strategy will be designed for each. Rather than a standard training-style program, the initiative works with each company individually to map out the right partners, investment strategy and market entry approach.
The flagship benefit is the opportunity to collaborate with large and mid-sized corporations on proof-of-concept technology validation. Startups will be matched one-on-one with partner companies across industries including finance, construction, logistics, food and beauty, with support provided at every stage from identifying projects to executing pilots. For startups, this means a chance to validate their technology in real-world industrial settings and explore the possibility of follow-on contracts or expanded distribution.
Selected companies will also receive customized consulting to sharpen their investor relations presentations, along with one-on-one meetings with investors. The Invention Lab will give priority consideration to direct and indirect investment, and the program will also facilitate connections to guarantees and loans from policy finance institutions. Top-performing companies will receive tiered commercialization grants to help secure practical growth funding.
Global expansion support is also part of the package, including business matching through local partner networks and connections to overseas investors and partners to broaden market entry opportunities beyond Korea. Gangnam-gu said it hopes the program will give early-stage startups — those with solid technology but struggling to secure distribution channels, investment and overseas networks — a foundation for growth.
Full details on the program are available on The Invention Lab's website and official application page.
"Through this project, we will support promising startups in securing real growth opportunities — from collaboration with large and mid-sized companies and investment linkages to global expansion," Gangnam-gu District Mayor Jo Seong-myeong said. "We will continue to strengthen our support so that Gangnam can establish itself as the hub of a startup ecosystem where future-industry innovators gather and grow."
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