The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 10th that it selected the first 130 successful applicants for "Startup for All."
The Startup for All project is a state-supported startup talent development platform that lets anyone with just an idea try starting a business. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) introduced expedited screening to select startup talent mainly through incubators with many applicants to reduce screening delays and disruptions to incubation schedules.
By startup field, 102 people were selected in the general and technology fields, and 28 in the local (regional) field. A total of 44 entrepreneurs said they would apply artificial intelligence (AI) technology to their startup ideas, accounting for 33.8% of all successful applicants.
By age, 83 people were 39 or younger, accounting for 63.8% of all successful applicants. Entrepreneurs who applied to non-capital region incubators numbered 94, reaching 72.3% of all successful applicants.
Among the startup ideas that passed this time, the general and technology fields produced the first foreign successful applicant with the idea of "a platform for non-English-speaking students to independently prepare for studying in Korea (Seoul National University of Science and Technology)." There were also entrepreneurs tackling urban and social problems, such as "early detection of sinkholes based on vehicle driving data (Hannam University)."
Drawing on experience from more than 20 years of long-term service, applicants also threw their hats in the ring with ideas such as "smart water pipe automatic cleaning, diagnosis, and disinfection system (CNT Tech)" and "tracking the internal hacking source to prevent information leaks (Daejeon ChangGyeong)."
In the local field, ideas were selected to revive regional independent bookstores with "building a complex cultural space that combines literature (independent bookstore) and traditional liquor (brewery) (Gwangju ChangGyeong)" and to boost sales in traditional markets with "vacuum repacking of agricultural and marine products in traditional markets (Gyeongbuk/Daegu ChangGyeong)."
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "Those who passed through expedited screening will be the first beacon lighting the long journey ahead for 'Startup for All,'" adding, "We will continue expedited screenings by institution until the announcement deadline, focus the public's efforts through the platform, and inject innovative energy into 'Startup for All.'"