Ministry of SMEs and Startups expands 'Startup for All' program

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups is expanding its ‘Startup for All’ project, doubling the number of first-round selections from 5,000 to 10,000 participants for its second phase. To promote the initiative, the Ministry has been conducting campus tours at universities, including Dankook University and Korea University, to engage with students and aspiring young entrepreneurs.

The program provides idea screening, mentoring, and startup activity funds. For the second phase, the Ministry has expanded the eligibility for existing entrepreneurs from within three years of founding to within seven years. Additionally, the network of incubation institutions has grown to approximately 170 organizations.

New features for the upcoming phase include an AI verification model to check for plagiarism and AI generation rates during the screening process, as well as the inclusion of approximately 50 AI solutions to support participants. Applications for the second phase are being accepted through the official platform until September 17.