Support extended to open innovation program participants
Eight sessions of hands-on training and mentoring to run through April
Program covers AI automation, fundraising and large-company partnerships
Korea Industrial Complex Corp. will expand its commercialization and investment support to startups participating in its open innovation programs, broadening a nurturing initiative previously limited to tenant companies and deepening cooperation with Korea Credit Guarantee Fund.
The state-run industrial park operator announced Thursday it will run eight sessions of its "KICXUP Scale-Up Office Hours" program from Monday through April next year. A key feature of the initiative is the extension of eligibility beyond existing KICXUP Center tenants to companies selected through the "KICXUP Challenge" and "KICXUP Local+" programs.
The sessions will cover three themes: year-end accounting and proof-of-concept preparation, securing funding and managing business risks in 2027, and expanding commercialization outcomes while recovering invested capital.
Topics will include financial modeling to analyze startup profitability and cost structures, strategies for participating in government research and development projects in the deep tech sector, and how to write proof-of-concept proposals for partnerships with large corporations. Practical lectures and expert mentoring will run in tandem to help individual companies address their management challenges.
The first session on Monday will be held at Korea Credit Guarantee Fund's NEST AI LAB in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Companies in the fund's startup support programs — Start-up NEST and Nest Space — will join open innovation participants from Korea Industrial Complex Corp. in what will be the first joint event between the two organizations.
A separate curriculum for young entrepreneurs will be introduced in February next year, focusing on non-dilutive fundraising strategies that allow startups to secure capital without giving up equity, as well as ways to use government support programs.
"The measure of open innovation's success lies in promising companies building self-sustaining capabilities and achieving real commercialization and scale-up," Korea Industrial Complex Corp. President Kim Dae-ja said. "We will continue to support startups in developing the practical skills they need on the ground and in securing new opportunities for growth."
hong@heraldcorp.com
