Asan Nanum Foundation announced on the 13th that it will be recruiting participating startups in 2025 by publishing an integrated notice containing the reorganization of the 'Chung Ju-young Startup Competition (hereafter 'Chung Chang-kyung'), the gateway to success for domestic startups.
This year's '2025 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition' focuses on discovering and nurturing entrepreneurs with a pioneering spirit who take on new challenges in various fields, with the theme of 'Frontier' from the sayings of Hyundai founder Chung Ju-yung of Asan. Starting this year, a total of four types of selection will be established: ▲Global Track, ▲Diversity Track, ▲Climate Tech Track, and ▲Pre-startup Track, and customized support will be provided for each track. Each track will be linked to the youth startup support program that Asan Nanum Foundation has previously operated, and a growth support program tailored to the startup team stage will be operated. In the second half of the year, an integrated demo day with a total prize pool of 400 million won will be held, and various benefits such as mentoring, support for overseas expansion, networking, opportunities to move into Maru office space, and investment linkage will be provided.
First, the 'Global Track' selects domestic software-based early-stage startups preparing to enter the US market. This track is linked to the 'Asan Voyager', a US-entering startup support program operated by the Asan Nanum Foundation. It selects companies established within 5 years preparing to enter the US market and provides local US accommodation, living expenses, networking, etc. The recruitment period is from February 17 to March 14.
The 'Diversity Track' selects entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds, including North Korean defectors, migrants, and foreigners. It is linked to the Asan Nanum Foundation's inclusive startup support program 'Asan Sanghoe', and in addition to the existing support target of North Korean defectors, the recruitment target is expanded to include immigrants and foreigners who are easily excluded from the startup ecosystem. It plans to connect participants with human and material resources such as commercialization funds, startup education, and investment linkage to help them become self-reliant and grow, and expand social inclusion and the diversity of the startup ecosystem. Recruitment will be held from February 24 to March 24.
In addition, the 'Climate Tech Track' selects university student startup teams with innovative technologies to respond to the climate crisis. Through the 'Asan University' program, which discovers and fosters climate tech startup teams, each university that has signed an agreement with the Asan Nanum Foundation independently recruits and selects startup teams. This year, in addition to undergraduate students, graduate students, and graduates from each partner university, the selection target has been expanded to include postdoctoral researchers, and the selected teams will be provided with activity expenses, climate tech specialized education, and mentoring.
The 'Preliminary Entrepreneur Track' by Jeong Chang-gyeong will select participants in conjunction with the existing program 'Asan Doos', which fosters university (graduate) students who dream of becoming prospective global entrepreneurs. It targets prospective entrepreneur teams or prospective entrepreneurs who aim to enter the global market, and provides intensive incubation support such as entrepreneurship education and networking with senior entrepreneurs. The recruitment period is from March 4 to April 7.
Individuals or teams selected for this year's Jeong Chang-gyeong will be given the opportunity and benefits to participate in various growth support programs. They can participate in seminars or training from startup ecosystem experts including venture capital and accelerator partners, and use solutions necessary for startups such as development, law, recruitment, public relations, and welfare for free or at a discounted price through 'Marubenefit'. They can also freely apply for the 'Marubenet' program where they can receive mentoring from industry experts in a total of 67 fields.
In addition, the finalist teams will be granted the qualification of 'Membership Startup' support, which will allow them to use Asan Nanum Foundation's Silicon Valley hub 'Maru SF' scheduled to open this year, and will be supported with accommodation and networks necessary for global expansion.
The recruitment guidelines for each track can be found on the official website and SNS channels of the Chung Ju-young Startup Competition. If you sign up for advance notification, you will receive an email or text message informing you of the start date of recruitment for each track. Meanwhile, the Asan Nanum Foundation will hold recruitment briefing sessions in four regions, including Seoul, Daejeon, Jeonbuk, and Busan, for prospective applicants, and will also hold webinars where questions and answers can be answered for each track.
Asan Nanum Foundation Chairman Eom Yun-mi said, “The Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition, which is the birthplace and gateway to promising domestic startups, has established a new track and expanded the selection scale in order to meet more diverse startup teams this year,” adding, “In order to create a sustainable startup ecosystem, we will spare no support so that entrepreneurs can continue to take on the challenge of pioneering new areas and expanding boundaries, centered on the ‘frontier entrepreneurship’ suggested by the foundation.”
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