[HBN뉴스 = 정동환 기자] Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seoul Business Agency (CEO Kim Hyun-woo) announced the recruitment of innovative startups for the ‘2026 Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok Global Expansion’ from March 19th to April 7th, offering PoC, Scale-up and Acceleration initiatives.
The program is designed to support innovative startups based in seoul to support global expansion and scale up via global public-private collaborative network. The initial recruitment plans to select approximately 60 startups across 10 different programs targeting 13 countries including Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia.
In particular, moving beyond the simple market exploration, the program aims to strengthen global PoC initiatives and introduce customer development program to support startups to deliver tangible results. These initiatives provide local technology validation and commercialization opportunities, along with demand validation, customer-partner matching, and fundraising support for late-stage startups.
Around 10 global partners including 123 Factory, specializing in venture clienting in collaboration with Europe-based major corporations, HEC Paris, an accelerator dedicated to producing over 30% unicorns in France, Big Impact, a venture capital based in the Kansai region of Japan, and Unicorn Incubator, a leading cross-border accelerator specializing in Korea-India market entry will serve as a strategic partners to closely support startups in entering local markets in the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia.
Selected startups will receive commercialization grants and gain access to various scale-up programs, such as global corporate PoC, tailored acceleration, and local client testing.
Selected startups will be provided with various programs such as 1:1 consulting, global IR and demo days, local PoCs and customer-driven business development and securing investment and overseas incorporation.
Any Seoul-based startups aiming to enter global markets are welcome to apply. The program plans to identify startups with proprietary technology in the fields such as AI, Bio & Health Care, Robotics, Fintech and emerging sectors.
The systematic support of the Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok Global Expansion Program is already being proven by tangible global achievements.
As an example case, Canalog secured a PoC opportunity for 1.8 MWp rooftop solar power plant at a local public water treatment facility by participating in 2025 Singapore Expansion Program. Building on these achievements, the company broadened its local network by participating as a partner in a technological innovation research project hosted by JTC corporation in Singapore, securing KRW 40 billion in cumulative investment and accelerating global expansion.
Corporation TR which received support from Seoul Startup Hub for two consecutive years, forged partnerships with FPT Group and AstraZeneca Vietnam. The company conducted on-site evaluations and engaged in discussions regarding implementation procedures with major respiratory hospitals in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to deploy the Spirokit, a digital-based respiratory diagnostic device, to local hospitals.
2026 Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok Global Expansion Program with PoC, Scale-up and Acceleration (10 countries) applications are open from March 19th to April 7th via the Startup Plus Website
Kim Jong-woo, the Startup Division Director from Seoul Business Agency stated, “the global public-private partnerships in 2025 brought meaningful accomplishments such as conducting PoC projects with public institutions and participating in research initiatives in Singapore, and building strategic partnerships with Vietnamese enterprises. The goal for 2026 is to provide support for innovative startups in achieving more tangible results through enhanced programs, including PoC opportunities, and customer development initiatives.”
[저작권자ⓒ HBN뉴스. 무단전재-재배포 금지]
