The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 15th that it will hold the "national graduate student venture investment competition" to cultivate prospective talent for venture investment.
The competition will be held on the 16th at the Daejeon Munji campus of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). It is being promoted to enhance the expertise of the growing venture investment market and to encourage the entry of young talent. The Korea Venture Capital (VC) Association is hosting, and the KAIST Center for Entrepreneurship is organizing.
Unlike traditional theory-centered education, the competition is structured as a practical program in which graduate students directly serve as VC investment reviewers and simulate the actual venture investment process.
Participants will experience the investment process of incumbent venture investors for startups, including ▲ business and technology analysis ▲ corporations due diligence ▲ review of investment terms ▲ investment decision and results presentation.
Universities competing are six schools where venture investment education is actively conducted: Korea University, Kookmin University, Sogang University, Soongsil University, KAIST, and Pohang University of Science and Technology.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to identify and train professional investment personnel early through the competition and expand the human base of the venture investment market. The winning team will receive the minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups award. They will also be given the opportunity to compete as Korea's representative at the Venture Capital Investment Competition in the United States in April. They will gain opportunities to be hired by venture investment firms through internships and other avenues.
Kim Bong-deok, venture policy director at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "In an environment where technological competition is intensifying, venture investment also requires a high level of expertise," and added, "We will work with the industry to attract outstanding talent to the venture investment market and to train capable investment professionals with experience in international competitions."