The second round of the "Startup for all" project will expand in scale and overhaul its operating system. It will double the number of selected participants to 10,000, expand incubating institutions and specialized leagues, and strengthen review fairness and platform security.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the "second Startup for all project implementation plan" in a joint presentation with related ministries at the Emergency Economic Headquarters and ministers' meeting on the 13th.
The second round of the Startup for all project will increase the selection scale compared with the first round. It will select a total of 10,000 startup challengers, including 8,000 in the general and technology fields and 2,000 in the local field. Eligibility will also be broadened from prospective founders and those restarting within three years of founding to those restarting within seven years. More than 80% of all selected will be prospective founders, and more than 70% will be founders outside the greater Seoul area.
Those who failed in the first round will receive extra points if they complete mentoring, refine their ideas, and try again. By increasing the participation of large corporations, mid-sized corporations, and public institutions with strong startup support capabilities, the number of incubating institutions will also be expanded to about 170.
Startup support areas will also be diversified. A "university league" with participation by university startup clubs and a "youth league" for teenagers will be run. A "social innovation social venture league," which will support up to 150 million won for 10 corporations solving social problems, and a "global league" to help expand overseas to the United States, Singapore, India, and other markets will also be newly established.
Measures to strengthen review fairness have also been prepared. At the review stage, joint evaluations by three mentors and the operation of an institutional deliberation committee will be mandated, and a verification model will be introduced to check AI-generated content rates and plagiarism. A minimum feedback requirement for idea reviews will be implemented, and functionality will be provided to submit supporting documents online to improve convenience.
Allowable uses for startup activity funds will be expanded to include online payment gateway (PG) categories. For those advancing to regional auditions, support programs of related ministries will be linked, including advanced graphics processing units (GPUs), export training, and the use of trade statistics.
A "challenge career certificate" officially recognizing project participation history will also be issued. Participants may receive preferential treatment in future startup support projects, policy financing, and research and development (R&D) projects.
Startup clubs where senior and junior founders interact will be operated by region, along with a regular exchange event called Community Day. Nationwide investor relations sessions will also be held to provide opportunities for investment attraction and participation in TIPS.
Operational stability will also be enhanced to prevent security incidents such as personal data leaks. Using external professional organizations of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the platform and personal data management system will be reinforced, and in consultation with related ministries, the administrative procedures required for public information systems will be carried out.
The second round of the Startup for all project will begin on the 20th. The government plans to select 10,000 people in October and then link step-by-step incubation and competition programs with support projects by related ministries and the private sector.
First Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) said, "We will open up more opportunities for people to take on challenges, support restarts and startups in diverse fields, and build a foundation so that after the challenge, they can continue to grow together within the startup ecosystem."