TIPS operators by type, region and sector: what the 145-operator list shows a foreign founder

The TIPS operator directory lists 145 organisations, as fetched on 2026-09-24. Reading that list by type, region and sector shows something approaching an operator does not: which operators to shortlist first.

What "operator" actually covers

TIPS''s own directory groups every operator into one of six types. Accelerators (ACCEL) are the largest group at 59 of 145. Venture capital firms (VC) follow at 29, then technology holding companies (TECH_HOLD) at 16.

A CCEI operator is a regional, government-linked innovation centre, not a private fund. 15 of the 145 operators carry this type, so a founder outside Seoul may find a CCEI, not a fund, is the nearest TIPS gate.

Technology holding companies are university-linked investors. POSTECH Holdings, Seoul National University''s SNU Holdings and Korea University Holdings are three of the ten operators that have recommended the most teams, and all three are technology holding companies tied to a university.

Where the operators sit

TIPS operators cluster in Seoul: 80 of 145, or 55 percent, are based there. Daejeon holds the next-largest share at 13, then Gyeonggi at 10 and Incheon at 6. Every other region holds four or fewer.

Which sectors operators actually list

Every operator''s sector tags are multi-select, so these totals overlap; an operator naming both AI and healthcare counts once in each column. AI is the most-listed sector, appearing against 131 of the 145 operators, ahead of healthcare (104) and robotics (87).

The list turns over

48 of the 145 operators, about a third, carry a designation year of 2024 or later. A shortlist built from an older or cached copy of this directory will miss a third of the current list.

The operators recommending the most teams

These counts add up since each operator''s designation year; they are not a current pipeline figure. An operator designated in 2014 has had over a decade to build a count that a 2024 operator cannot yet match.

The directory itself, filterable by these same fields, sits at TIPS operators. For what an operator screens for once you approach it, see approaching a TIPS operator.