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Korea Startup Leap Package

The 2026 general route provides commercialisation grants up to KRW 200 million, averaging about KRW 120 million. The separate deep-tech route reaches KRW 300 million, and the later investment-linked Startup City route reaches KRW 200 million. Company co-funding varies by region; the standard structure funds up to 70%, with reduced applicant shares for eligible non-capital regions. · Korea Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED

Korea Startup Leap Package is a grant programme from Korea Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED for South Korean startups generally three to seven years old or meeting an eligible deep-tech exception in the current notice Current lifecycle: closed. Real economics: The 2026 general route provides commercialisation grants up to KRW 200 million, averaging about KRW 120 million. The separate deep-tech route reaches KRW 300 million, and the later investment-linked Startup City route reaches KRW 200 million. Company co-funding varies by region; the standard structure funds up to 70%, with reduced applicant shares for eligible non-capital regions..

Tier 3governmentsouth-koreagrantnon-dilutive

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Key facts

FunderKorea Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED
AmountThe 2026 general route provides commercialisation grants up to KRW 200 million, averaging about KRW 120 million. The separate deep-tech route reaches KRW 300 million, and the later investment-linked Startup City route reaches KRW 200 million. Company co-funding varies by region; the standard structure funds up to 70%, with reduced applicant shares for eligible non-capital regions.
Decision timeThe general route uses documentary review and two presentation-based evaluation stages before evidence verification and selection. Result notices are published through K-Startup, but the reviewed official sources do not provide a stable application-to-decision day commitment.
EligibilityA Korean growth-stage startup generally more than three and no more than seven years old, or no more than ten years old in a designated new industry, with all representatives eligible and no disqualifying debt, tax arrears, prohibited-sector activity, duplicate commercialisation support or prior programme history. Separate deep-tech and investment-linked calls add technology, capital and regional-location conditions.
RestrictionsRecipients provide the required cash/in-kind contribution, use the integrated startup-support account and approved budget, document commercialisation costs, attend evaluations and programme support, obtain approval for material changes, and complete interim/final reporting and settlement. Ongoing business and outcome-information duties apply; misuse, false statements or duplicate support can cause cancellation and recovery. Funding supports approved scale-up commercialisation costs such as materials and data, outsourced development and services, equipment and software, IP filing or acquisition, eligible personnel, rent, travel, certification, customer validation and market expansion. Pre-agreement, unrelated, unsupported, duplicate-funded and prohibited costs are excluded. The public notices do not provide a complete universal IP ownership or licensing allocation.
Statusclosed

Always confirm on the official page before applying — dates and terms change.

Application process

  1. Choose the general, deep-tech or investment-linked call and eligible supervising organisation
  2. Submit the K-Startup application, prescribed growth business plan, budget and declarations
  3. Pass startup-age, representation, sector, debt, tax, prior-support and duplicate-support checks
  4. Undergo written evaluation of innovation, market, growth strategy, implementation capacity and programme fit
  5. Present through the two-stage general evaluation or the selected track's prescribed panels
  6. Complete evidence verification, ranking and final selection notification
  7. Sign the electronic agreement and deposit the required company contribution
  8. Execute the approved scale-up plan with lead-organisation support
  9. Participate in monitoring, mentoring and milestone evaluations
  10. Submit expense, outcome and final-settlement evidence and maintain post-award records

Background

Korea Ministry of SMEs and Startups / KISED operates Korea Startup Leap Package. This pass separates direct cash, repayable finance, credits, incentives and umbrella programs so later ranking does not compare unlike instruments. The 2026 plan allocated 300 general and 75 deep-tech Startup Leap Package places The general route averaged about KRW 120 million and the deep-tech ceiling reached KRW 300 million The separate 2026 investment-linked Startup City call planned another 50 Startup Leap companies across participating cities

How the application really works

Choose the general, deep-tech or investment-linked call and eligible supervising organisation → Submit the K-Startup application, prescribed growth business plan, budget and declarations → Pass startup-age, representation, sector, debt, tax, prior-support and duplicate-support checks → Undergo written evaluation of innovation, market, growth strategy, implementation capacity and programme fit → Present through the two-stage general evaluation or the selected track's prescribed panels → Complete evidence verification, ranking and final selection notification → Sign the electronic agreement and deposit the required company contribution → Execute the approved scale-up plan with lead-organisation support → Participate in monitoring, mentoring and milestone evaluations → Submit expense, outcome and final-settlement evidence and maintain post-award records

Tips

Watch out for

Track record

The 2026 plan provided 300 general and 75 deep-tech places, and the later investment-linked Startup City call planned 50 Startup Leap places. No official combined applicant denominator or realised package-wide acceptance rate was found.

Frequently asked questions

Is this actionable now?
closed. The 2026 general Startup Leap Package accepted applications from 23 January through 13 February at 16:00 KST and is closed. The separate deep-tech and investment-linked routes also closed in 2026; no later current call was verified, so this is a multi-track annual package rather than rolling funding.
What is the real economic value?
The 2026 general route provides commercialisation grants up to KRW 200 million, averaging about KRW 120 million. The separate deep-tech route reaches KRW 300 million, and the later investment-linked Startup City route reaches KRW 200 million. Company co-funding varies by region; the standard structure funds up to 70%, with reduced applicant shares for eligible non-capital regions.
Who is eligible?
A Korean growth-stage startup generally more than three and no more than seven years old, or no more than ten years old in a designated new industry, with all representatives eligible and no disqualifying debt, tax arrears, prohibited-sector activity, duplicate commercialisation support or prior programme history. Separate deep-tech and investment-linked calls add technology, capital and regional-location conditions.
How does selection work?
Choose the general, deep-tech or investment-linked call and eligible supervising organisation; Submit the K-Startup application, prescribed growth business plan, budget and declarations; Pass startup-age, representation, sector, debt, tax, prior-support and duplicate-support checks; Undergo written evaluation of innovation, market, growth strategy, implementation capacity and programme fit; Present through the two-stage general evaluation or the selected track's prescribed panels; Complete evidence verification, ranking and final selection notification; Sign the electronic agreement and deposit the required company contribution; Execute the approved scale-up plan with lead-organisation support; Participate in monitoring, mentoring and milestone evaluations; Submit expense, outcome and final-settlement evidence and maintain post-award records. The general route uses documentary review and two presentation-based evaluation stages before evidence verification and selection. Result notices are published through K-Startup, but the reviewed official sources do not provide a stable application-to-decision day commitment.
What burden and restrictions apply?
Recipients provide the required cash/in-kind contribution, use the integrated startup-support account and approved budget, document commercialisation costs, attend evaluations and programme support, obtain approval for material changes, and complete interim/final reporting and settlement. Ongoing business and outcome-information duties apply; misuse, false statements or duplicate support can cause cancellation and recovery. Funding supports approved scale-up commercialisation costs such as materials and data, outsourced development and services, equipment and software, IP filing or acquisition, eligible personnel, rent, travel, certification, customer validation and market expansion. Pre-agreement, unrelated, unsupported, duplicate-funded and prohibited costs are excluded. The public notices do not provide a complete universal IP ownership or licensing allocation.
What evidence exists?
The 2026 plan allocated 300 general and 75 deep-tech Startup Leap Package places The general route averaged about KRW 120 million and the deep-tech ceiling reached KRW 300 million The separate 2026 investment-linked Startup City call planned another 50 Startup Leap companies across participating cities The 2026 plan provided 300 general and 75 deep-tech places, and the later investment-linked Startup City call planned 50 Startup Leap places. No official combined applicant denominator or realised package-wide acceptance rate was found.

Related grants

Korea Pre-Startup PackageThe 2026 package provides non-repayable commercialisation funding up to KRW 80 million per prospective founder. The revised call planned about 300 selections, generally around KRW 40 million each, with an initial KRW 20 million stage and additional funding for founders that pass the interim stage evaluation; the ceiling is not an automatic award. · Korea SMEs and Startups Agency / KISEDKorea Early-Stage Startup PackageThe 2026 general route provides commercialisation grants up to KRW 100 million, averaging about KRW 50 million. The separate deep-tech route reaches KRW 150 million and averaged about KRW 130 million; a later investment-linked Startup City route reached KRW 100 million. Company cost-sharing varies by region, with government support normally up to 70% and reduced applicant shares for eligible non-capital regions. · Korea SMEs and Startups Agency / KISED1517 Fund Medici Micro-Grant$1,000 or more; the official route does not publish a universal maximum · 1517 FundNat Friedman & Daniel Gross Grants (AI Grant)USD 250,000 maximum; see notes for structure · Nat Friedman & Daniel GrossAnthropic Startup ProgramAnthropic may provide API credits and other program benefits; the current official terms publish no universal numeric benefit value. · AnthropicAnthropic Fellows Program (AI Safety)$3,850 USD, £2,310 GBP or $4,300 CAD per week, plus approximately $15,000 per month of compute; the official source does not publish a guaranteed total stipend · Anthropic

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