142 TIPS operators to participate
Program targets tech founders with no prior investment experience
The government will hold more than 300 investor relations sessions before the end of the year to connect tech founders seeking their first investment with venture investors.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups launched the "Challenge IR Project" at a kickoff event Thursday at TIPS Town S1 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The project is designed to bridge the gap between founders who have technology and ideas but lack investor networks or access to funding information, and investment firms looking for early-stage opportunities.
The program targets startup founders and prospective entrepreneurs pursuing their first investment who have a concrete business plan. The ministry and 142 TIPS operators will run more than 300 in-person IR sessions through the end of the year.
At Thursday's inaugural event, participating startups delivered IR pitches to investors and held one-on-one consultations with TIPS operators. The event also featured sessions where founders who had previously received TIPS investment shared their growth experiences, along with a showcase of products from TIPS-backed companies.
Going forward, the IR sessions will be organized into three tracks: operator-led programs, sessions linked to the "Modu's Startup" initiative, and regional and sector-specific programs.
In the first track, TIPS operators will independently organize IR events — including one-on-one meetings and open pitching sessions — in two rounds in October and November. Applications for the October round have been open since Aug. 15, and more than 500 founders have already signed up. Each operator will select participants from the pool for in-person sessions.
The project will also connect with the "Modu's Startup" initiative. About 200 entrepreneurial talents who advanced to the second round of the first Modu's Startup general and technology tracks and received recommendations from their incubators will be matched with TIPS operators suited to their business ideas and supported in securing investment.
Regional IR events will also be held to expand contact points between startups outside Greater Seoul and investors. "Welcome to TIPS" events will be held across five major regions and three special zones, while "Startup City IR" sessions tied to the four science and technology institutes will take place in Daegu, Daejeon, Gwangju and Ulsan. This year, the Welcome to TIPS program expands beyond the existing five regions to include North Jeolla Province, Gangwon Province and Jeju, and top-performing companies from each region will receive priority consideration for the "Pre-TIPS" support program.
Sector-specific investment linkages are also planned. IR sessions will be held for companies selected through the cross-ministry startup competition "K-Startup of the Year," organized by league across 12 specialized categories under nine ministries. Additional IR events will be tied to startup support programs run by individual ministries in areas such as defense, media, maritime and research and development.
The project is structured not merely to connect investors and startups, but to channel successful matches into follow-on TIPS support. Companies that secure investment through the IR sessions will receive preferential treatment, including bonus points, during TIPS selection evaluations. The broader vision is to link private investors who identify and back promising tech companies with government R&D and commercialization funding through the TIPS framework, enabling continued growth.
"We will actively support innovative entrepreneurs in taking their first step through the Challenge IR Project," said Mok Seung-hwan, director general for startup and venture innovation at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. "We hope that founders with potential will build a foundation for growth alongside TIPS operators, who have discovered and nurtured countless deep tech companies."
boo@heraldcorp.com
