Government Source Portal

K-Startup Portal

Managed by the South Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), K-Startup is the country's flagship startup portal aggregating all national funding, commercialization, and incubation programs.

National Startup Infrastructure

K-Startup acts as the central clearinghouse for the South Korean government's startup support ecosystem. By consolidating programs across multiple ministries (including the Ministry of Science and ICT, Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and others), it serves as a unified entry point for both domestic and foreign founders seeking government backing.

KISED Commercialization Grant Ladder

KISED administers a sequential, non-dilutive grant ladder designed to fund startups at distinct phases of growth. Note that founders cannot receive multiple commercialization grants during the same fiscal year.

Pre-Startup Package (예비창업패키지)

Target Stage: Pre-incorporation — no business registration and no company on the announcement date

Funding Range: Up to ₩80M

Paid in stages against an interim evaluation, not as a lump sum. 2026 budget ₩49.1B for about 300 founders.

Early Startup Package (초기창업패키지)

Target Stage: Incorporated within the last 3 years

Funding Range: Up to ₩100M general and investment-linked; up to ₩150M deep-tech. Average ₩50M.

Covers prototyping, marketing and IP filing. 2026 budget ₩55.9B for about 614 companies: 400 general, 146 deep-tech, 68 investment-linked.

Startup Leap Package (창업도약패키지)

Target Stage: Incorporated 3 to 7 years ago

Funding Range: Confirm against the current 공고

Targets scaling and expansion. We have not verified this year's ceiling against KISED's own announcement, so no figure is stated here.

TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startups) Tracks

TIPS is South Korea's flagship public-private co-investment vehicle. Accredited private operators (VCs, accelerators) invest first, and the government matches with R&D, commercialization, and marketing funds.

TIPS R&D — General track (일반트랙)

Private Investment Requirement: Investment and recommendation from an accredited TIPS operator

Max Government Match: Up to ₩800M R&D. You fund at least 25% of total research cost.

Timeline: 24 months

Focus: ₩162.4B allocated to new awards in 2026. Applications in Q1, Q2 and Q3.

TIPS R&D — Deep-tech track (딥테크트랙)

Private Investment Requirement: Open to firms rated 'complete' on their General track final evaluation

Max Government Match: Up to ₩1.5 Billion R&D

Timeline: 36 months

Focus: Restricted to the 12 designated new-industry fields (12대 신산업분야).

Non-R&D linked programmes (비R&D 연계사업)

Private Investment Requirement: Open to firms that contracted TIPS R&D through 2025

Max Government Match: Up to ₩150M commercialisation + ₩150M overseas marketing, ₩300M combined. You fund at least 30% of total project cost.

Timeline: 10 months each

Focus: ₩65B allocated to new awards in 2026. Applications in Q1.

Source Snapshot

Total 2026 Support Budget

₩3.4645 Trillion

3조 4,645억원, announced by MSS on 19 Dec 2025

Programmes Covered

508

across 111 central and local government bodies

Largest Single Category

Loans — ₩1.4245 Trillion, 41.1% of the total

Most of this budget is credit, not grants

Visit Official K-Startup Portal

EastStartup Value-Add

We translate, index, and organize K-Startup announcements in English, bridging eligibility matches and providing automated deadline alerts for foreign-owned Korean corporations.