13 Major University Campustown Startup Products Seek Market Channels Through Public Institutions and Online Malls

Seoul City Produces Online and Offline Catalogs to Distribute Nationwide to Public Institutions and Civic Groups
Developing Prototypes, Expanding Sales Channels, and Establishing Cooperative Purchasing Systems Using Online Platforms

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul City has stepped up to support the market expansion of products from Campustown startup companies, which have been struggling despite developing innovative products or technology services due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic.

On the 14th, Seoul City announced that it will produce an "online and offline catalog" containing information on 73 products from Campustown startups at 13 universities, including each product's performance and purchasing methods, and distribute the catalog to 226 public institutions in cities, counties, and districts nationwide, as well as 230 economic and civic organizations.

Starting next year, as the "Priority Purchase System for Startup Company Products" will be implemented in public institutions, this initiative aims to help Campustown startups pioneer a new sales channel through public procurement, while public institutions can serve as test beds for innovative products.

To make it easy for anyone to purchase products from Campustown startups, support will be provided to enter online shopping malls by October. As non-face-to-face purchasing has become more active due to COVID-19, the plan is to collaborate with online shopping malls to create a separate section dedicated to selling startup products and promote it intensively.

Furthermore, Seoul City plans to build a cooperative system that enables everything from prototype development to promotion, market expansion, and joint purchasing by utilizing the "Campustown Online Platform (https://campustown.seoul.go.kr)" which has been operating since May this year. Similar industries and main business sectors will be shared so that Campustown startups can connect, converge, and create synergy effects.

Additionally, catalogs for companies and products moving into the 448 startup spaces at 34 Campustown universities established this year will be produced to support online and offline market expansion.

To ensure trust in purchasing startup products, performance and demand verification will be strengthened from the prototype production stage, and for companies facing difficulties in technology development, competitiveness will be enhanced through university-company technology matching.

Kim Ui-seung, Director of Seoul City's Economic Policy Office, said, "Due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic, Campustown startups with innovative technologies and services are facing difficulties securing sales channels. Public institutions will first serve as test beds to verify technological capabilities and secure sales channels so that products can be purchased with confidence. We will establish a joint cooperative system for Campustown startups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.