The Ministry of Science and ICT presented Wednesday certificates to the chosen companies at a ceremony at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, marking the seventh year of its ICT unicorn fostering program.
Run with the National IT Industry Promotion Agency and partners including the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, the Korea Exchange and Seoul Guarantee Insurance, the scale-up scheme has supported a cumulative 104 firms to date.
An analysis of 45 companies that took part between 2023 and last year found they generated 15.4 billion won ($10.1 million) in overseas sales last year alone, up 40 percent from a year earlier. Their combined headcount rose 8.6 percent to 2,306, with about 58 percent of staff aged 34 or younger.
This year's cohort spans AI, cybersecurity and digital health, and includes chip designer Rebellions alongside Neurocle, MoveAWheeL and Honeynaps. Many graduated from earlier ministry start-up initiatives such as the K-Global Project.
Each firm will receive tailored support to enter two foreign markets, drawing on the ministry's overseas bases for customer outreach and investor matching, while the credit fund will offer working-capital guarantees of up to 5 billion won per company over three years.
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