Gov't
joins hands with Google, Airbus to support K-startups' overseas expansion
By
Baek Byung-yeul, The Korea Times - The government joined hands with global
companies such as Google and Airbus in order to help more startups here expand
overseas and grow into unicorn companies, according to the Ministry of SMEs and
Startups, Thursday.
The startup ministry will also
provide collaboration opportunities with global venture capital firms starting
with the Korea-U.S. startup event this month. To attract skilled workers from
overseas to Korea, a special visa program will also be established. The ministry announced the
support package, called the K-Startup Global Entry Strategy, at an emergency
economic ministers' meeting presided over by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister
of Economy and Finance Choo Kyung-ho.
Minister of SMEs and Startups
Lee Young said the support program is designed to help more Korean companies do
business overseas so that they can advance into bigger markets and develop
expertise, than rather just doing business in the limited domestic market. "With the global
competition intensifying to preoccupy the digital economy, many global unicorn
companies are emerging and many advanced countries are actively supporting
global startups," Lee said during the meeting at the Government Complex
Sejong. If the unicorn companies
remain in the domestic market that has a limited market size, social friction
with traditional industries will inevitably increase. The globalization of
innovative startups here is an inevitable choice." The minister said the support
program made together with nine global companies including Google and Airbus
will help 270 local startups go abroad starting in 2023.
Startups will also be able to
utilize global networks and infrastructure that larger domestic companies have
established in their overseas markets. The Global Unicorn Project, an
accelerator program, will also be launched next year so that startups looking
to expand overseas can receive counseling from private consulting firms to
establish strategies necessary for globalization as well as support for
attracting funds and setting up networks. The ComeUp event, a business
fair for local startups, will be operated by a private agency with expertise to
make it one of the five largest global startup events.
"Startups will play a key
role in making the country a leader in the global digital economy. Starting
with the Korea-U.S. startup event in September, the Ministry of SMEs and
Startups will try its best to help more companies with great products and
excellent technologies actively expand to overseas markets," the minister
said.