The Ministry of SMEs and Startups said on the 19th that 62,944 people applied to the "Everyone's Startup Project," which accepted applications from Mar. 26 to May 15, the largest number ever among government ministry startup and idea contests.
Applicants totaled 51,907 for the general/technology track and 11,037 for the local track. As of the application deadline, the official platform recorded 1,418,600 cumulative visits and 135,036 sign-ups. An average of 19.5 people accessed the platform per minute, and 1.9 people signed up.
Young people stood out. Those age 39 or younger totaled 42,798, accounting for 68% of all applicants. A wide range of ages participated, from the youngest at 9 to the oldest at 90, and there were 540 foreign applicants.
By region, applicants from outside the Seoul metropolitan area numbered 33,628, or 53.4% of the total. That is 23.4 percentage points higher than this year's share of non-capital-area applicants for the Preliminary Startup Package (30%). In particular, the share of non-capital-area applicants in the local track was high at 69.4%.
By field, in the general/technology track, IT drew the most with 14,728 (28.4%), followed by lifestyle with 11,360 (21.9%) and education with 4,077 (7.9%). In the local track, lifestyle drew the most with 7,069 (64.1%), followed by F&B with 2,992 (27.1%).
An AI boom was also evident. Among applications for the general/technology track, ideas containing AI keywords numbered 15,339, accounting for 29.6% of the total. In the one-line idea analysis, "AI" was also the most frequently cited keyword.
A shift in perceptions of startups also emerged. The share of respondents who saw startups as a "high-barrier challenge" fell from 64% before awareness of the "Everyone's Startup Project" to 33.1% after. Those saying they were "willing to take on a startup challenge" rose from 67.2% to 89.5%.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) plans to select 5,000 startup talents in June after validation by mentoring institutions nationwide of the more than 60,000 ideas submitted. Selected applicants will receive startup support programs such as AI solutions, GPUs, and pre-review of regulations.
Reflecting the on-site voices of young people heard during the "Everyone's Startup" campus tour, a second round of Everyone's Startup will also be pursued. It will provide "second-chance mentoring" and support networking such as special lectures by senior entrepreneurs in each region.
Minister Han Seong-sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "The 62,000 challenges gathered in this Everyone's Startup prove the heat of the national startup era," adding, "We will provide full support for the selected ideas, and we will also support second-chance mentoring for those not selected to lay the foundation for continued challenges."