The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS, Minister OH Youngju) announced that it hosted a talent matching festival connecting Korean small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups with Indian software developers on Monday, May 26 in Noida (New Delhi)*, and on Wednesday, May 28 in Pune**.
* Noida: A satellite city of New Delhi and home to Amity University, the top private university in northern India
** Pune: Home to Indira University, a private institution known for its industry-linked education in western-central India

This festival was held as part of a program aimed at addressing the hiring challenges faced by SMEs and startups by linking them with highly skilled software developers in India. The event drew participation from over 100 Korean SMEs and startups, and more than 1,600 experienced Indian software developers, including online participants.

The overseas software developer hiring program, launched for the first time in 2024, has already facilitated the recruitment of 206 software developers for 41 SMEs and startups. MSS aims to match over 200 developers again in 2025.
* Of the 206 hires: 201 were local remote hires, and 5 were domestic (Korea-based) hires

To ensure smooth matching between Korean SMEs/startups and Indian developers, MSS has established local desks in India to secure a talent pool of Indian software developers, conduct consultations, and manage attendance and performance of matched personnel.

These local desks were first launched in Noida (northern India) and Bengaluru (southern India) in 2024. On May 29, a new desk was opened in Pune (western-central India). An additional desk in eastern India is scheduled to open in the second half of the year.

Meanwhile, the Korea Venture Business Association (Chairman SONG Byungjoon, operating agency) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2024 with the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) alumni foundation. During the festival, an MOU was also signed with Amity University, the top private university in northern India, on Monday, May 26. Furthermore, the association signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Startup Incubation Center under the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on Tuesday, May 27, pledging continued cooperation for linking Indian software talent with Korean venture businesses.

KIM Bongdeok, Director General for Venture Policy, stated, “We hope this talent matching festival greatly contributes to alleviating the software talent shortage faced by SMEs and startups.” He added, “We will continue to expand our local networks and talent pools to broaden the range of software developer options available to Korean SMEs and startups.”