AI-powered solutions to navigate and access Korea's startup funding programs
Navigating Korea's startup funding ecosystem starts with knowing where to look. Here are the essential websites to bookmark.
Korea's grant ecosystem is expansive, but navigable once you know which doors to knock on. The sites here cover different layers of that system: federal programs, Seoul-specific support, foreigner-friendly entry points, and the informal intel that Korean founders have been quietly using for years.
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The K-Startup Portal is managed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) and KISED, and is the centralized platform for nearly all federal grants in Korea. Think of it as the primary source of truth.
The website at the entrance is divided into:
The Launch Sesame Programs page highlights all 500+ government grant programs across all regions, industries, and institutions. It provides a summary of each program with general eligibility criteria, budget, and estimated funding amounts. Additionally, it actively tracks active/open announcements with deadlines that are relevant to the program - this is especially valuable for programs with multiple tracks or phases that happen throughout the year.
After a recent feature release, this page also allows for you to filter by programs based on your own profile. After answering a few questions about your startup (or potential startup), grants will be highlighted based on full or partial eligibility - making it much easier to focus on the ones that matter most.
The Global Startup Center is the official hub for foreign entrepreneurs in Korea (operated with MSS). It is the most foreigner-friendly English-language resource available, covering programs like:
Tip: Check the Programs tab for inbound support programs that don't require high-level Korean proficiency.
Biz Info is the legacy platform that predates the K-Startup Portal. It's worth checking periodically as some programs still get posted here and don't always make it to the newer portal.
The Gov24 website is less of a grant directory and more of an org chart explorer (정책정보 > 정부/지자체 조직도).
This is a great place to understand how central and regional government branches are structured, especially useful when you're trying to figure out which agency actually runs a program, or when you want to dig into regional support options beyond what's listed federally. We recommend you poke around specific regional websites while you're there.
Sensible Box Newsletter is a free weekly Korean-language newsletter that curates newly announced support programs, demo days, and investment news across the startup ecosystem. Each weekly issue covers new support programs, demo days, and funding announcements on Sensible, all in one digestible digest delivered every Monday morning.
It also publishes an annual summary of the government's integrated startup support announcements (창업지원사업 통합공고), which is genuinely useful for planning ahead. The website is aimed towards Korean speakers, but if you have a bilingual teammate or advisor then this one is worth subscribing to.
Startup Plus is seoul's integrated startup platform run by the Seoul Business Agency (SBA). While the other sites on this list are national, Startup Plus is Seoul-specific and covers a different layer of support. You can use it to apply for support projects, find investors, browse Seoul-based startup support facilities, and access tech trading services. It also has a useful dashboard tracking the status of Seoul's startup ecosystem and venture funds.
The website is primarily in Korean, but the site has an English mode. It can be useful for finding startup facilities, including co-working spaces and office residencies open for applications.
Janie Baek
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