Venture Startup Festival 2013
The Venture Startup Festival 2013 will take place in Hall C of COEX in Seoul from December 5 to 7, hosted by the Small and Medium Business Administration and co-managed by the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development and the Korea Venture Business Association.
The Venture Startup Festival originally started as Venture Korea in 1997. It has consistently been a place to promote and nurture the entrepreneurial spirit and a marketing vehicle for Korea’s small and medium sized businesses through the creation of a valueadded business chain.
This year’s event has the theme of “Ventures and Startups! Blooming Creative Economy,” and campaigns to bring a sense of shared cause for ventures and startups. The aim is to foster culture to realize the creative economy together with the general public.
Highlights of this year's event include award ceremonies for ventures and startups, product exhibitions and business meetings, seminars, conferences, and subsidiary events.
Awards will be held at the opening ceremony. This year’s awards consist of five national medals, 18 Presidential citations, 15 Prime Minister’s citations and 126 other awards for 164 in total, up 12 from 152 last year. By category, 81 awards will be given to venture businesses, 62 to startups, and 21 to knowledge-based businesses.
The business events include the Exhibition for Quality Products, Business Meetings for Exports, and an Overseas Expansion Seminar. For Business Meetings for Exports, in particular, 70 buyers and members of INKE from 40 countries will be on hand to provide tips on various subjects such as alliances for marketing and technology, exports, and investments. At the Overseas Expansion Seminar, INKE member companies and major export support organizations will provide information on overseas markets and give consulting about strategies for overseas expansion.
In addition, an investment consulting forum for one-person creative companies will be held to attract investments and establish business networks, targeting venture capitalists and angel investors. The Venture and Startup Business Meeting will provide consulting on funds, locations, business plans, and marketing by inviting professionals in each field to speak.
The subsidiary events include Superstar V, Startup Success Story, One Person Creative Startup Success Forum, Workshop Forum, Creative Economy IR, YES Leaders’ Entrepreneurship Program, and Cultural Festivals.
Super V is a program that awards Korea’s top entrepreneurs selected via contests for a Champion of Champions or The Best of The Best, targeting the group of winners in other talent or business contests. The One Person Startup Success Forum will provide keynote speeches, presentations, and panel discussions to share startup success stories, information on market trends, and strategies for success by inviting wellknown mentors from home and abroad. The YES Leaders’ Entrepreneurship Program will share fruit from special lectures to nurture talent for the creative economy, and enhance the public challenge spirit and mind for the startup experience. The Culture Festival will offer a place for trainees or graduates of the well-being training center to show off their talents in specialized areas such as being a coffee barista, wine sommelier, and nail artist.
Exhibits will consist of 3 pavilions for college students and youth, oneperson creative startups, and successful ventures each. Participants in the exhibits will be given an independent booth and basic equipment free of charge.