The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) said on the 28th that they held the "K-Unicorn Dream Show 2025" at Layer Studio11 in Mapo, Seoul.
The event was prepared to share the achievements of the 850 members of the 15th class of the Youth Startup Academy and the 60 members of the 6th class of the Global Startup Academy who enrolled this year, and to promote mutual exchange. This year's event, under the theme "Youth startups, toward a future beyond imagination," looked back on the steps taken to take on entrepreneurship and expressed the determination to leap forward as global unicorn corporations.
About 500 people attended the event, including KOSME Chair Kang Seok-jin, Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC) Executive Director Lee Jae-pil, and Association of Early-Stage Investment Accelerators (AC) Chair Jeon Hwa-seong, as well as corporations that enrolled in and graduated from each academy, ACs, and venture capital (VC).
The program consisted of corporate presentations (IR) by enrolled corporations and networking events between startup seniors and juniors, consultations with technology and management experts in manufacturing, distribution, and investment, and exhibitions of excellent products and technology demonstrations by enrolled corporations.
At the event, cumulative results of the Youth Startup Academy, launched in 2011, were shared, and future directions for operation were also unveiled, including the introduction of a "grade system" to systematically foster promising startup corporations.
Starting in 2026, the grade system will be promoted as a specialized program focused on smart, deep tech, global, and sustainability to reflect changes in the startup ecosystem. The existing one-year single-term structure will be reorganized into a first-year basic course and a second-year deep tech and global advanced course to strengthen customized support by stage of corporate growth.
KOSME Chair Kang Seok-jin said, "With this Dream Show as a starting point, we hope to spur the innovative will of young entrepreneurs and lay a foundation for standing as global unicorn corporations," adding, "We will continue to do our best to advance the youth startup ecosystem through systematic support and networking."
The Youth Startup Academy is a major domestic Start - Up nurturing program that has produced about 8,500 graduates as of last year. This year, two pre-unicorns and three baby unicorns were selected.