The Gyeonggi Level-Up Program, run by the Gyeonggi Content Agency, is a phased investment-attraction support program created to help content Start - Up growth in Gyeonggi Province. Launched in 2024, it operates four tracks according to Start - Up business sectors and growth stages: "Level-Up Seed," "Level-Up Pre-A," "Virtual Convergence Seed," and "Virtual Convergence Pre-A."
What sets the Gyeonggi Level-Up Program apart is that it serves as a "platform." While conventional startup support projects often stopped at one-off investments with little follow-up, the Gyeonggi Content Agency integrated scattered incubation programs into one, building a system that connects investment, incubation, and follow-on investment. This helps participating Start - Up grow steadily and pursue successful fundraising.
Eligible participants are content corporations located in Gyeonggi Province. For the seed stage, corporations that are within seven years of founding and have a corporate value of 5 billion won and annual revenue of 2 billion won or less can apply. The Pre-A stage targets corporations that have received seed investment or have a corporate value of at least 5 billion won. Participating corporations are finally selected through document screening to assess business capabilities and a pitching day. In 2025, 282 corporations applied and a total of 45 were selected.
Selected corporations commonly receive opportunities to pitch, network, and present results to Level-Up Invest Partners (G-VIP). G-VIP is a strategic partnership that the Gyeonggi Content Agency has formed with 93 private venture capital (VC) and accelerator (AC) firms interested in investing in content corporations. Through G-VIP, the agency helps channel private funds into investments in content corporations in the province.
It also supports specialized programs tailored to each growth stage. Corporations selected for "Level-Up Seed" receive programs such as training on investment and marketing and consulting on fundraising and commercialization. They can receive up to 600 million won in direct investment, and the program also helps attract follow-on investment. For "Virtual Convergence Seed" corporations, support includes virtual convergence innovation forum training and HR mentoring. The investment amount is 100 million won from fund capital and 20 million to 30 million won in support from the Korea Creative Content Agency.
The Pre-A stage focuses on strengthening corporate capabilities. Corporations participating in "Level-Up Pre-A" are offered mentoring and IR consulting for capability building, as well as open innovation opportunities such as market development through collaboration with large and mid-sized corporations in Korea. They can receive up to 500 million won in direct investment, with additional follow-on opportunities through investment rounds. "Virtual Convergence Pre-A" corporations receive 200 million won in direct investment along with mentoring and IR consulting.
Based on this support system, the Gyeonggi Level-Up Program has achieved meaningful results over two years. Since 2024, it has contributed 7.4 billion won to create an accumulated fund of 108 billion won, and, together with partners, reviewed 406 investment cases as of the end of August. In 2024, it recorded 27.1 billion won in investment outcomes.
Representative corporations include "Studio MetaK," a producer of intellectual property (IP) content based on advanced technology. The corporation won the grand prize in the Level-Up Super Rookie category in 2024 and raised 3 billion won in Series A investment this year. It was also selected for the VP production support program of the Gyeonggi Content Agency and is growing as a unicorn candidate in Gyeonggi Province.
The Gyeonggi Content Agency is also connecting Start - Up growth with large and mid-sized corporations. It is operating the "K-Content IP convergence production support" program, which helps Start - Up use IP owned by large corporations to launch new businesses, and is working to discover various cooperation models, including win-win open innovation.
Meanwhile, the Gyeonggi Content Agency is also supporting the global growth of content corporations in Gyeonggi Province. The agency is building global alliances with related institutions in East Asia, including China and Japan, to expand sales channels. An agency official said, "We will pursue global growth so that Gyeonggi Province can play the role of a hub for K-content."