Jeon Hwasung, CEO of CNTTech, on the 2nd pointed to the "diversification of founders" as a key change in the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Jeon said at "C Forum 2026," held at CGV Wangsimni in Seoul on the 2nd, that "entrepreneurship among middle-aged and older adults will become standardized and a field that advances going forward."
C Forum, co-hosted by CNTTech and ChosunBiz, is an event where members of the innovation ecosystem—including startups, investors, large corporations, public institutions, universities, and policy agencies—gather in one place to discuss the future of industry, with "Connect, Collaborate, Create" as its core values.
Now in its fourth year, "C Forum 2026" was held under the theme "The Movie." Instead of lectures and panel discussions, it unfolded the process of founding and growth through a film.
After the film ended, Jeon outlined the key changes in the startup ecosystem. Jeon said, "A total of 62,000 people applied for 'Startup for All,' a government entrepreneurship project, and according to the government, participants ranged from teens to those in their 80s," adding, "While mentoring for Startup for All's retry program, it is common to see high school students and founders in their 70s getting in touch."
Jeon also projected that artificial intelligence (AI) startups based on specialized knowledge or understanding of particular fields will gain competitiveness going forward. As building AI models needed for business has become easier than in the past, Jeon analyzed that experience-based founding is increasingly likely to lead the market.
Jeon said, "There is a growing number of vertical AI startups that focus exclusively on learning data and terminology in a single industry group, and physical AI startups that combine with hardware to perform real-world actions," adding, "Robotics-linked models are also emerging as the mainstream across various phenomena."
Jeon also chose "innovation in supply chains" as a key keyword. Jeon noted, "Existing distribution systems, such as typical business-to-business transactions and business-to-consumer transactions, are being completely shaken." Jeon added, "They are shifting to new types of distribution structures," and "the digitalization of real-economy industries such as food, ingredients, dining, and agriculture is creating primary value."
At this C Forum, officials from entrepreneurship support programs run by CNTTech also took part. Major institutions and corporations, including IBK Industrial Bank, Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO), The Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency (KOAT), Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), and iM Financial Group, participated as sponsors to support exchanges and collaboration among startup ecosystem members.