The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises and the Korean Academic Society of Business Venturing said on the 7th that they held a "forum on improving the startup ecosystem" at the KBIZ in Yeouido.
The forum was held as the main program of the "2025 Korean Academic Society of Business Venturing fall conference," and was organized to diagnose the current state of the domestic startup ecosystem and discuss policy improvements, with the KBIZ Youth and Future Committee for SMEs launched this year and the Korean Academic Society of Business Venturing participating together.
Lee Il-han, a professor at Chung-Ang University and the first presenter, gave a presentation on "diagnosis and improvement plan for screening and evaluation of startup support systems." Lee said, "Korea's startup support systems have continued quantitative growth and have served as a foundation for innovation-driven growth," adding, "Now is the time to enhance the systems' effectiveness and fairness through qualitative growth."
Lee went on to stress, "To strengthen the expertise of the screening and evaluation system, the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) screening committee pool should be opened and linked to other startup support institutions and the private sector to build an integrated management DB of reviewers, and evaluation feedback should be provided to those evaluated to ensure transparency in evaluation and to nurture founders."
Kim Sang-jun, a professor at Ewha Womans University and the second presenter, gave a lecture on "the growth paradox of startup planners." Kim said, "Startup planners (accelerators) have the dual purpose of supporting early Start - Up while surviving as corporations."
Kim added, "It is important to strike a balance between the policy goal of startup support and the economic goal of profitability," and "approaching in a way that fulfills the policy role of incubation while also improving investment performance can lay the foundation for sustainable growth for startup planners."
In the ensuing general discussion, Chair Jin Byung-chae served as moderator, and Kim Hak-beom, chair of the KBIZ Youth and Future Committee for SMEs; Bae Kyung-hwa, senior manager at the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME); Gong Sung-hyun, secretary-general of the Korea Startup Accelerators and Early Stage Investors Association (K-AIA); Lee Min-kyung, head of policy coordination at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises ; and Shim Jae-yoon, head of the startup policy division at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, took part as panelists to discuss ways to improve the startup ecosystem.
Lee Min-kyung, head of policy coordination at the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises , said, "Startups are the starting point for creating a new growth engine for the Korean economy," adding, "The Korea Federation of Small and Medium Enterprises will continue to reflect on-the-ground voices and work to create an institutional environment where SMEs and Start - Up can grow."