Korea Investment & Securities launches startup program for youth aging out of foster care

Korea Investment & Securities announced Monday that it held a "Dream Sherpa Camp" for participants in its inaugural "Korea Investment Dream Sherpa" youth entrepreneurship support program.

The Dream Sherpa program is designed to help youth who have aged out of the foster care system turn their startup ideas into concrete plans and develop the practical skills needed to launch a business.

The overnight camp, held June 19 and 20, brought together five pre-selected teams of youth who have aged out of foster care.

The camp was structured to help participants transform their startup ideas into workable plans while building the foundational skills and confidence needed to execute their projects. It placed particular emphasis on helping participants define the goals and vision behind each of their ventures.

Through workshops, participants reviewed their ideas, drafted action plans for the commercialization process and mapped out the direction of their follow-on projects.

Korea Investment & Securities employees also contributed pro bono lectures. Kim Seo-young, a tax accountant in the firm's GWM Consulting Division, delivered a session titled "Basic Tax Knowledge Every New Business Owner Should Know," covering essential tax fundamentals for early-stage startups and key considerations when running a business.

"This camp is meaningful in that it helps youth who have aged out of foster care move beyond vague ideas and develop plans they can actually put into action," a company official said. "We will continue to pursue practical finance-driven social value creation activities so that young people can chart their own futures and take on new challenges."

Korea Investment & Securities launched the Dream Sherpa program in April and recruited its first cohort at that time. Any youth who has aged out of foster care and is 30 or younger is eligible to apply. Selected teams receive education support as well as startup grants of up to 20 million won (about $13,000).