AI-powered solutions to navigate and access Korea's startup funding programs
South Korea offers a specialized visa pathway for foreign entrepreneurs to launch technology-focused businesses without the traditional ₩100 million KRW investment requirement. This functions through the Overall Assistance for Startup Immigration System program, which is operated by various institutions nationwide.
While the national government sets the curriculum and point values, operating institutions have their own schedule and method of running the OASIS program. This means the specific location you choose can significantly impact your overall timeline and experience.
Home to 50% of Korea's population and businesses, Seoul is an automatic destination for aspiring foreign founders. However, Incheon, situated only one hour away from the capital by public transit, offers a unique advantage through how it operates its program, offering a sequential, end-to-end startup pathway that helps foreign founders start their business faster.
Operated by Incheon Technopark and VizaBridge, the Incheon OASIS program is for foreign entrepreneurs planning to establish tech startups within the city. The program gives priority to applicants who already reside in, intend to relocate to, or plan to incorporate their business in Incheon.
Unique from other programs, the Incheon OASIS program encourages founders to take the entire pathway – from OASIS-4 through OASIS-8 – in a streamlined sequence. The predictable structure reduces the fragmentation foreign entrepreneurs usually experience when trying to complete the necessary OASIS courses for the D-8-4 Startup Visa.
This means, instead of completing the education-based steps in one place, receive mentoring in another, and struggle to incorporating on your own, Incheon’s OASIS program seamlessly connects it all. Additionally, because the courses occur weeks after the previous one, founders can start and finish within 6 months to 1 year.
The D-8-4 Technology Startup visa is a points-based visa and can only be obtained by participating in OASIS courses. Applicants need to obtain 60 or more points and must satisfy at least one mandatory item, such as holding intellectual property or winning government grants through specific OASIS modules. The same 60-point threshold applies when extending the visa.
The Incheon sequence is a significant advantage for serious founders because following the track from OASIS-4 through OASIS-8 results in 80 points on its own, including 30 points from the Incheon Foreign Startup Challenge (IFC, also known as OASIS-6). Founders may then subsequently add points from intellectual property, prior education, or Korean language ability. The newly established D-8-4S special visa exempts applicants from the point system. Read more about it to learn if you’re eligible.
For founders who want a structured route into Korea, putting education, mentoring, competitions, incubation, incorporation, and commercialization support into one local pathway is the core advantage from Incheon. It does not guarantee a visa or company launch, but it can make the process far more coordinated than completing each step separately and over an unspecificed amount of time.
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OASIS courses run through government-designated operators, and the coursework itself is generally provided at no tuition cost to participants. The program is a public initiative funded to attract foreign founders with technology-based business ideas to South Korea. That said, founders should budget for the real costs of building a company in Korea. This includes incorporation and registration fees, office or shared-space rental costs, and at least 6 months of living expenses.
Timing depends on the annual schedule and on how quickly you complete each stage. While OASIS-4 to OASIS-6 are each completed in the span of one to three days, OASIS-7 requires keeping a business registration for at least six months, and business registration through OASIS-8 can take a few weeks or more. Those interested in completing Incheon's OASIS program should realistically expect the process to take 6 months to 1 year. Additionally, course schedules are published per program cycle, so the exact calendar varies by year.
If you’re a foreign founder with a solid tech-focused business plan and are ready to launch as soon as possible, Incheon is a strong place to consider to complete your OASIS requirements. The city is utilizing OASIS to attract foreign founders, help them incorporate locally, connect them to startup space and mentoring, and move promising teams toward commercialization. If Seoul is the obvious default, Incheon is the strategic alternative: close to the capital, built around international infrastructure, and actively trying to turn foreign entrepreneurs into locally based startup founders.
Danielle Tolliver
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