South Korea is witnessing a remarkable shift in its startup ecosystem, with ventures in the energy, battery, bio, and autonomous driving sectors emerging as next-generation unicorns. On June 26, the South Korean Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the final selection of 15 “preliminary unicorns” and 50 “baby unicorns” for its Global Unicorn Project. Significantly, the selected startups span critical growth industries such as energy, battery, and bio sectors, which are anticipated to thrive in the global market.
Since its inception in 2019, the Global Unicorn Project has selected 250 baby unicorn companies and 111 prospective giant startups (unicorns) annually. This year, 199 companies were selected for the baby unicorn development project, and 107 for the preliminary unicorn special guarantee, demonstrating intensew2 competition with rates of 4 to 1 and 7 to 1, respectively.
High-Stakes Support and Growth
Preliminary unicorns will receive special guarantees of up to 20 billion won (14 million USD) each, with the top 30% benefiting from an additional 30% guarantee limit. On average, these companies have attracted investments of 38 billion won ($27 million) and reported sales of 20.9 billion won ($15 million). Baby unicorns, on the other hand, will receive up to 300 million won in market development funds, alongside a special guarantee from the Technology Guarantee Fund of up to 5 billion won to support their growth.
Prominent Startups
Among the standout companies are Grinergy, a producer of LTO (lithium titanium oxide) batteries; FRD, a manufacturer of special gases; and Hylium Industry, which offers liquefied hydrogen drones and charging stations. Grinergy is preparing to establish a joint venture with Snapfast, a British solar and wind power solution company, supported by the UK Research and Innovation Agency.
In the bio sector, notable companies include BioOrchestra, specializing in central nervous system-specific drug delivery systems; First Biotherapeutics, focused on treatments for degenerative brain diseases; and Organoid Science, pioneering regenerative therapy.
Global Market Success
Several startups are already making significant strides in the global market. Dot, a company producing Braille information terminals, is poised to become a global unicorn with exports constituting over 80% of its sales. Dot supplies the U.S. Department of Education and has earned accolades at the Global Conference for the Blind and CES 2023. Other notable mentions include Rapo Labs, operator of the women’s clothing platform Queen It; Yeolmae Company, specializing in piece investment STO; and Autonomous A2G, focused on autonomous driving technology.
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