Startup accelerator New Paradigm Investment (Co-CEOs Sang-Seung Bae and Je-Hyeon Park) announced on the 26th that it has begun recruiting companies for its "2025 Second Half Baby Unicorn Growth Program." This program is New Paradigm's core growth program, supporting the growth of early-stage startups with technological prowess and marketability through step-by-step investment and acceleration.
This second-half recruitment is open to startups established within the past three years. Any company with a business model that has completed a proof-of-concept (PoC) is eligible to apply. Selected companies will receive up to KRW 2 billion in funding, including an initial investment of up to KRW 500 million, follow-up investments of up to KRW 1 billion, and external funding.
Additionally, companies will be eligible for recommendations through the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' private investment-led Technology Incubation Program (TIPS), which can secure government R&D funding of 500 to 700 million won per company. Up to 1.2 billion won in funding is also available through the "Global Track" program for global expansion, and recommendations for the TIPS Deep Tech Track are also available separately.
In addition to investments, various growth support programs are provided, including ▲regular networking with TIPS and Baby Unicorn graduates ▲linking of joint business opportunities between portfolio companies ▲commercialization consulting from industry experts.
Recruitment areas encompass not only the entire ICT landscape, including AI, B2B SaaS, and digital transformation, but also the entire spectrum of 4th industrial revolution-based technologies, including commerce, silver tech, sports tech, and beauty tech. Deep tech fields, including generative AI, smart robots, and digital healthcare, are also receiving significant support.
Through the same program in 2024, New Paradigm Investment invested approximately KRW 6 billion in initial and follow-up investments in 14 startups. These companies subsequently secured a total of KRW 70.3 billion in follow-up investments from external private investors. Building on this, New Paradigm Investment plans to establish a KRW 10 billion fund dedicated to new and follow-up investments in 2025 and invest KRW 8 billion in approximately 16 companies.
Co-CEO Park Jae-hyun stated, “All eight TIPS recommended companies in 2024 were selected, recording a 100% recommendation success rate.” He added, “This year, we will further enhance the program’s completeness by establishing a global track for startups with high demand for global expansion and strengthening customized investments by sector.”
The application period for the 2025 Baby Unicorn Growth Program in the second half of the year is from August 25th to October 24th. Applications can be submitted through a dedicated page on New Paradigm Investment's official website. Individual applicants will be notified of the results of the initial review within one week of submitting their applications. Final selection will then be made through in-person or remote meetings.
- See more related articles
You must be logged in to post a comment.