SBA (서울경제진흥원, Seoul Business Agency) is a public agency under Seoul city government supporting SMEs and startups across seven categories, including startup space, export and training.

How many Seoul Startup Hub locations are there?

SBA's own pages disagree: its startup-space listing names four sites (Gongdeok, Seongsu, Changdong, Dongjak Center), while its top-level business guide names only three (Gongdeok, Seongsu, Dongjak). Confirm the current count with SBA.

Which Seoul Startup Hub site focuses on overseas expansion?

SBA's startup-space page states Seoul Startup Hub Changdong supports domestic and overseas market development (국내외 판로 개척). The other listed sites focus on other areas: kitchen incubation, ESG consulting, and staged growth programmes.

Can a foreign-founded company apply to Seoul Startup Hub?

Neither SBA page fetched for this post states a foreign-founder eligibility rule for any hub. Confirm directly with SBA or the specific hub's current notice.

What else does SBA run besides startup space?

Its own guide lists export support through a Global Marketing Center, SeSAC coding and employment training, R&D and competitiveness support, creative-industries programmes, and industrial-hub activation.

Seoul Business Agency (SBA): the city agency behind Seoul Startup Hub

서울경제진흥원(SBA): 서울창업허브를 운영하는 시 산하 기관

Published 23 October 20263 min read2 primary sources

SBA (서울경제진흥원) is Seoul city's SME and startup support agency. Its own pages name several Seoul Startup Hub locations but disagree on the count, and none of the pages fetched for this post state a foreign-founder eligibility rule.

An aerial view of Seoul's skyline and river, representing the city agency's citywide reach

On this page

A Seoul city agency, seven support categories
Seoul Startup Hub is several sites, not one
No published foreign-founder rule

SBA runs Seoul's city-level business support, from startup space to export help. Its own pages describe Seoul Startup Hub as several distinct locations, each with a different focus, rather than a single building.

A Seoul city agency, seven support categories

SBA describes itself as a public agency under Seoul city government. It focuses on "Seoul기업 성장" and "일자리 창출": enterprise growth and job creation.

Its own business-guide page groups support into seven categories. They are startup and incubation, export, human resources, competitiveness, creative industries, industrial-hub activation, and beauty and fashion.

The startup and incubation category is where Seoul Startup Hub sits. It sits alongside SeSAC's coding and employment training and the Global Marketing Center's export support. Each category runs its own space, staff and application process rather than one shared front door.

Seoul Startup Hub is several sites, not one

SBA's startup-space page names four sites: Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok, Seongsu, Changdong, and Seoul Startup Center Dongjak. Its top-level business guide, fetched the same day, names only three: Gongdeok, Seongsu and Dongjak.

The startup-space page assigns each site a distinct focus. Gongdeok pairs a kitchen incubator with product-development support. Seongsu centres on ESG business-model consulting.

Changdong states support for "국내외 판로 개척," domestic and overseas market development. Dongjak runs stage-by-stage programmes from pre-startup through growth, including deep-tech support.

Hub (as named on SBA's startup-space page)	Stated focus
Seoul Startup Hub Gongdeok	Kitchen incubator, product development support
Seoul Startup Hub Seongsu	ESG business-model consulting
Seoul Startup Hub Changdong	Domestic and overseas market development
Seoul Startup Center Dongjak	Pre-startup through growth stages, deep-tech

No published foreign-founder rule

Neither SBA page fetched for this post states whether a foreign-founded company can apply to any Seoul Startup Hub site. The pages describe stage and sector focus, not nationality of ownership.

SBA's seven support categories, with Seoul Startup Hub split across at least three named sites, each with its own focus.

A foreign founder should treat "Seoul Startup Hub" as a family of sites, confirm the current count with SBA, and match the site whose stated focus fits their company before applying.

Use the ecosystem guide to place SBA alongside Korea's other city and national startup agencies.

Frequently asked questions

What is SBA?: SBA (서울경제진흥원, Seoul Business Agency) is a public agency under Seoul city government supporting SMEs and startups across seven categories, including startup space, export and training.
How many Seoul Startup Hub locations are there?: SBA's own pages disagree: its startup-space listing names four sites (Gongdeok, Seongsu, Changdong, Dongjak Center), while its top-level business guide names only three (Gongdeok, Seongsu, Dongjak). Confirm the current count with SBA.
Which Seoul Startup Hub site focuses on overseas expansion?: SBA's startup-space page states Seoul Startup Hub Changdong supports domestic and overseas market development (국내외 판로 개척). The other listed sites focus on other areas: kitchen incubation, ESG consulting, and staged growth programmes.
Can a foreign-founded company apply to Seoul Startup Hub?: Neither SBA page fetched for this post states a foreign-founder eligibility rule for any hub. Confirm directly with SBA or the specific hub's current notice.
What else does SBA run besides startup space?: Its own guide lists export support through a Global Marketing Center, SeSAC coding and employment training, R&D and competitiveness support, creative-industries programmes, and industrial-hub activation.

Sources

SBA (Seoul Business Agency) - business guide overview — read 2026-09-24
SBA - startup space support (창업공간 지원) — read 2026-09-24

Everything above is the rule as published. See how it applies to your case.