The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 27th that it will launch the 2026 "regional startup festival" starting in North Chungcheong. The event was prepared to strengthen the region-based startup ecosystem in cooperation with metropolitan governments and to ease the startup environment gap between the greater Seoul area and non-capital regions.
Key players in the regional startup ecosystem—including startups, investors, and startup-support institutions—will take part in the festival. This year's festival will be held 14 times in total (10 regional events and four bloc events), centered on non-capital regions. The first stop will be North Chungcheong. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said it will run hub events by bloc and also hold a nationwide integrated event at year's end to share the year's outcomes.
This festival is led by the Creative Economy Innovation Center, a regional startup hub, and consists of common sessions focused on investment, open innovation, and networking, as well as specialized sessions such as startup competitions, re-challenge programs, and consulting and exhibitions. It also expanded participation opportunities by linking with the startup program "Startup for All," which anyone can join with just one idea. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said it strengthened the event's identity and recognition by introducing a unified brand, "Startup for All Festival in [region name]."
The first event, "Startup for All Festival in North Chungcheong, OLSS Summit (Osong Life-Science Startup Summit) 2026," will be held on the 27th in Osong, North Chungcheong. This is a specialized program involving bio-sector startups, investment firms, and domestic and international institutions, and it is expected to expand global cooperation opportunities for regional corporations in connection with "Bio Korea 2026."
From the 29th to the 30th in Changwon, South Gyeongsang, the "Startup for All Festival in South Gyeongsang, GSAT 2026" will take place. This event is South Gyeongsang Province's flagship startup festival and marks its third anniversary this year. In particular, this year it sets physical AI as the core theme, creating a festival where anyone can feel future technological change and experience the joy of innovation.
Cho Kyung-won, entrepreneurship policy director at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), said, "By combining Startup for All with the 'regional startup festival,' we will offer new opportunities for innovation to entrepreneurs in non-capital regions," adding, "We will continue systematic support so that promising regional founders can enjoy a startup ecosystem on par with the greater Seoul area."