The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 23rd that, together with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, and Korea Venture Investment Corporation, it will commit a total of 2.1 trillion won through the "Mother Fund 2026 first regular commitment," and, combined with private capital, create a venture fund of about 4.4 trillion won.
The focus of this commitment is to foster next-generation unicorns centered on artificial intelligence (AI) and deep tech, expand investment outside the greater Seoul area, attract global capital, and revitalize the early-stage, second-chance startup and exit markets. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to commit 1.6 trillion won across 13 fields to create more than 3.6 trillion won in venture funds.
First, 550 billion won will be committed to the "next-generation unicorn development project," which supports AI and deep-tech corporations by growth stage, and will be operated at a scale of 1.3 trillion won. Dedicated startup and scale-up funds will also be expanded to provide linked support from early discovery to scale-up investments of 10 billion won or more, and a joint public-private unicorn fund will be newly established to provide more than 300 billion won to around five corporations.
To boost venture investment outside the greater Seoul area, a record 230 billion won will be committed to the "regional growth fund," in which local communities, local governments, and the mother fund participate together. Through this, in about four regions each year, more than 400 billion won in parent funds and 700 billion won in sub-funds will be created, pushing regional venture investment totaling 3.5 trillion won over five years.
The global fund will receive a commitment of 130 billion won and be formed to exceed 1 trillion won. The "second-chance fund," designed to support the re-challenge of re-entrepreneurs whose failure experience is an asset, will also see its commitment size expanded fourfold from the previous year to 200 billion won, and the commitment size to revitalize the exit market will be increased fourfold from the previous year as well. Even before listing, the exit market will be built so that existing investors can sell equity to new investors or recover their investments through mergers and acquisitions (M&A).
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to apply institutional improvements, such as expanding regional investment obligations and strengthening performance fees for early investments, to this commitment program to reinforce the virtuous cycle of the venture investment ecosystem.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will commit 499 billion won to create a total fund of 731.8 billion won focused on intellectual property (IP), cultural technology (CT), and Korean films. It plans to strengthen production companies' IP acquisition and the foundation for film production. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries will commit 15 billion won to create a 21.5 billion won "marine living zone specialized fund." By concentrating investment in non-capital region marine corporations, it will promote corporate growth and local job creation.
Proposals for commitment areas will be accepted on the Venture Investment Integrated Information System website until 2 p.m. from Feb. 19 to 26. Briefings on the detailed contents of the announcement will be held through Feb. 2–3.
After the first document screening and on-site due diligence and the second round of presentations by management firms, the final selection of managers will be made in April. Nine ministries and some fields not included in this announcement, such as the Korea AeroSpace Administration, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and the Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment, will be announced sequentially after February.