The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said the Youth Bizcool Festival 2025 is being held for three days from on the 27th to the 29th at KintEX in Ilsan, Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
The Youth Bizcool Festival is the nation's largest youth entrepreneurship festival held annually since 2007, a festival to share the outcomes of the Bizcool program with schools, parents, and the general public, and to spread an entrepreneurship culture friendly to startups.
This year's event, under the theme Value in Youth, brought together 82 schools and more than 20,000 youths. Youth entrepreneurs, startup support institutions, and senior entrepreneurs gather in one place to share startup experiences and know-how and to network.
On the first day, there were lectures by experts in fields the youths hope for, along with a talk concert by a Bizcool alumni entrepreneur. On the second day, the Bizcool camp final evaluation and opening ceremony were held, followed by a special lecture by science communicator "Guiedo," a taekwondo performance by K-Tigers, and a performance by the project group JAESSBEE. On the last day, there will be the Bizcool students' performance Bizcool Show-off and awards for outstanding booths and participants.
At the opening ceremony, Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "The free imagination of youths and the spirit of challenge that does not fear failure are the seeds of innovation," and added, "Through various Bizcool programs, we will provide unsparing support so that youths can grow into future entrepreneurs."
Noh then presented the Minister's commendations from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) to contributors to youth entrepreneurship education. Five people in the education support field received commendations, including Han Gyu-cheon and Kim Jin-gu, teachers who served as writers of the Youth Entrepreneurship textbook, 13 outstanding teachers in entrepreneurship education, five outstanding students, and Samgoe High School Principal Gong Myeong-hyeon, the first school to introduce the entrepreneurship textbook.
In addition, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) will operate exhibition halls and side events throughout the event period. Exhibition halls include the School Hall, which showcases Bizcool achievements over the past year, and Startup Square, for communication and hands-on experiences with Start - Up companies that have innovative ideas.
Side events include Stage Up, where students pitch startup ideas and receive feedback from senior entrepreneurs, and a mentoring program that matches Start - Up CEOs with youths. There will also be the Entrepreneurial Disposition Test Hall to identify famous entrepreneurs with dispositions similar to one's own, the Bizcool Reels Challenge, and a Tarot Booth.