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April 14, 2025                                 
                                                  
MSS Joins Hands with Eight Institutions to Support Global Expansion of Promising Startups

SEJONG – The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) announced on Monday, April 14, that it has selected eight institutions, including the Korea Agriculture Technology Promotion Agency (KOAT), as the lead organizations for the 2025 Global Accelerating Support Program. The program aims to support promising domestic startups in expanding and establishing themselves in international markets.

The ‘Global Accelerating Support Program’ is designed to support promising startups with domestic and international accelerating programs as well as overseas expansion funding, thereby backing their international growth and expansion. It has been restructured into a comprehensive inter-agency collaboration project in accordance with the ‘K-Startup Global Expansion Strategy’ of 2022 and the ‘Comprehensive Measures for Startup Korea’ of 2023, promoting specialized and tailored support for overseas expansion based on the type and sector of startups.

The selected lead organizations for 2025 and their key initiatives are as follows. First, KOAT (affiliated with the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs) will support the entry of food, agtech, and green bio startups into Singapore, leveraging its expertise in the agricultural sector. With Singapore serving as a financial and investment hub, it provides an ideal environment for agricultural startups targeting the Southeast Asian market.

The Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement (under the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport) will assist land and transport startups in entering Germany and Finland. The agency will promote technical collaboration with global companies such as Deutsche Bahn, Microsoft, and NVIDIA, and facilitate exchanges with local startup ecosystems.

The Korea-Africa Foundation (under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs) will utilize its strong local networks in Africa to support climate tech and aging tech startups in entering South Africa and Egypt.

The Chungnam Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (CCEI) (affiliated with the Ministry of Environment) will support climate tech startups expanding into Germany, drawing on its experience in global market entry. The synergy between CCEI’s global network and the Ministry’s domain knowledge is expected to enhance outcomes.

Several new institutions will also participate in 2025. The Korea Association for Space Technology Promotion (under the Korea Aero Space Administration) will collaborate with a global accelerator specializing in space and aviation to help space startups enter France. The Korea Institute of Patent Information (under the Korean Intellectual Property Office) will support IP-based deep tech startups expanding into the U.S. This will enable more diverse startups to receive tailored support for overseas expansion.

Two additional institutions supporting entry into the U.S., which boasts a global startup ecosystem and significant demand for startup entries, are the Korea Edutech Industry Association (under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy) and the Korea Entrepreneurship Foundation (under the Ministry of Education). These institutions plan to lead the entry of edtech, service platform, big data, and intelligent robotics startups into the U.S. based on their specialized nurturing expertise.

Meanwhile, MSS will recruit 140 startups to participate in the program between Monday, April 14, and Thursday, May 8. Interested startups can apply online through the K-Startup website. (www.k-startup.go.kr).

CHO Kyung-won, Director General for Startup Policy, stated, “In the face of rapid technological change and an evolving global landscape, the capabilities of a single Ministry are no longer sufficient. Inter-agency collaboration is essential. We will continue to strengthen partnerships with other ministries and the private sector to support the global growth and expansion of Korean startups.”

About the Global Accelerating Support Program
The Global Accelerating Support Program is designed to assist high-potential startups through both domestic and international acceleration programs, as well as funding for overseas expansion. In line with the K-Startup Global Expansion Strategy (2022) and the Comprehensive Measures for Startup Korea (2023), the program has been restructured as a comprehensive inter-agency collaboration initiative. It now offers specialized and tailored support for global expansion based on startup type and industry sector.

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