The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook, hereinafter referred to as MSS) announced that it will hold the '1st Venture Week' from Wednesday, November 26 to Tuesday, December 2, together with the Korea Venture Business Association (Chairman Song Byung-joon), Korea Venture Investment (CEO Lee Dae-hee), Korea Venture Capital Association (Chairman Kim Hak-gyun), and Korea Technology Finance Corporation (Chairman Kim Jong-ho). With the slogan 'From 30 Years of Venture to the Next 30 Years,' this is a national innovation festival that connects venture investment and the startup ecosystem, centered around Seoul and Daejeon. The main programs will be relayed at L Tower (VenHyeop), Seoul Signiel Hotel (KVIC), Daejeon Tips Town (AngelHyeop), Seoul Tips Town (ACHyeop·Cospo), and Seoul Desker Base Camp (VenHyeop).
A program that connects national investment networks
Venture Week is organized around a schedule that encompasses the entire investment cycle. The Venture Association (VNA) will kick off the event at the El Tower, while the Korea Venture Investment Corporation (KVIC) will host the Korea VC Awards 2025 at the Signiel Hotel in Seoul. The Angel Association will host the Regional Angel Investment Hub Angel Investor Meetup at Tipstown in Daejeon, broadening the base for early-stage investment in the region. On Friday, November 28th, the AC Association and Cospo will host the "Boomup Concert with Startup Accelerators (ACs)" at Tipstown in Seoul. ACs (startup accelerators) plan and nurture growth strategies for early-stage startups and lead to follow-up investments. On Saturday, November 29th, the Venture Association will host the "Korea Venture Youth Festival" at the Seoul Desker Base Camp, expanding the connection between next-generation talent and the ecosystem.
For general readers unfamiliar with investment and entrepreneurship terminology, angel investment refers to the financing of early-stage companies by individuals or small investors, while VC (venture capital) is an institution that specializes in investing in companies with high growth potential. This event is structurally significant in that it connects the angel-AC-VC ladder into a week-long festival, thereby increasing connectivity.
Policy Signals and Ecosystem Spillover Effects
The title, "From 30 Years of Venture to the Next 30 Years," is interpreted as a policy signal to chart the next generation's growth path based on accumulated ecosystem assets. The location of the event, which is located between Seoul and Daejeon, also reflects the intention to expand the network centered on the metropolitan area into a regional investment hub. Angel meetups and AC concerts can help bridge the gap in early-stage funding and nurturing, while the VC Awards can serve as a mechanism to share achievements and elevate investment standards.
This week-long, intensive event is expected to strengthen the links between startup inflow (deal sourcing), early validation (incubation/meetups), and growth funding (VC), lowering transaction costs and mitigating information asymmetry. The talent inflow through the Youth Festival can serve as an indicator of expanding the startup base in the long term. The respective event organizers (Venus Ventures Association, Korea Ventures Incubation Center (KVIC), Angel Ventures Association, and AC Ventures Association/COSPO) have clear responsibilities. Venus Ventures Association is responsible for community development, KVIC for investment evaluation and awareness raising, Angel Ventures Association for regional early-stage investment, and AC Ventures Association/COSPO for acceleration and strengthening the startup community.
This year's Venture Week is market-friendly, as it is not a single event but a "connected format" designed to follow the flow of the ecosystem. Linking Seoul (L Tower, Signiel Hotel, Tipstown, Desker Base Camp) and Daejeon (Tipstown), attention is focused on whether the event will bridge the geographical and tiered gap between investment and startups, and whether it will transform the 30 years of venture experience into a growth engine for the next 30 years.
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