'Seoul Forest Social Venture EXPO' Held Online and Offline

Seongdong-gu to Host 4th Seoul Forest Social Venture EXPO Online and Offline from 16th to 25th... Over 230 Companies Participate in Premier Social Venture Festival for Sharing Achievements and Networking... Includes Environmental Conference, Impact Fund Creation, Value Market Booths, and Game Events

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] The social venture festival ‘Seoul Forest Social Venture EXPO’ will be held as an ontact (online + contact) festival that transcends both online and offline.

Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) will hold the 4th annual ‘Seoul Forest Social Venture EXPO’ for 10 days from the 16th over a 25-day period.

This event is a place to share and communicate the achievements of social ventures that create social value, held as a large-scale social venture festival with nearly 230 companies participating, almost double the number from last year, through both online and offline events.

On the first day, the 16th, the opening ceremony, thematic discussions, and case presentations by social venture companies will be broadcast live online. Mid-sized social ventures working on various innovative ideas and efforts under the theme of ‘solving urban waste problems’ will present cases and engage in in-depth discussions.

Following this, a ceremony will be held to announce the establishment of the ‘Seongdong Impact Fund,’ a 2 billion KRW investment fund supported by 500 million KRW from the district and 1.5 billion KRW from private investors, which will invest in social ventures within seven years of their founding. The results of the ‘Social Venture Innovation Competition,’ which selects creative and innovative business models, will also be broadcast online.

Support for social venture companies’ market access and promotion will not be overlooked. First, an ‘Online Corporate Promotion Hall’ will be created through an online platform, featuring 164 social venture companies in the district. It will serve as a non-face-to-face online promotional channel to introduce corporate activities and link to company websites, helping public institutions and private investors learn about the companies.

A ‘Social Venture Value Market’ where products are directly sold will also be held. It will be conducted in two forms: an online special exhibition and an offline curated shop, with a total of 111 products from 68 companies participating, attracting residents’ attention.

The most eye-catching event during the expo is ‘Find the Treasure of Seongsu Social Venture Valley.’ This is a boom-up program set against the backdrop of the largest social venture valley in Korea, located in Seongsu-dong. Participants will visit social venture hotspots such as the Social Venture Hub Center, Heyground, KT&G Sangsang Planet, Seoul Forest, Understand Avenue, and the Seongsu-dong area, playing an online and offline game using smartphones to find treasures hidden in various locations.

A district official said, “To allow the general public to naturally encounter social ventures, which may be somewhat unfamiliar, the event is structured as a game to promote various social venture hubs and companies, and we expect it to be an event that can revitalize the industry atmosphere, which has been depressed due to COVID-19.”

Anyone can participate using a smartphone, and by acquiring treasures in the form of NFC tags, various rewards such as gifts will be given at each stage. Detailed information can be found in the event and mobile game categories on the Social Venture EXPO website, and the application can be downloaded by accessing via QR code.

Seongdong-gu Mayor Jung Won-oh said, “I believe that social innovators leading social ventures in the post-COVID era will become pioneers who highlight new social issues and seek solutions. I hope this expo will provide practical help to social venture companies so that they can grow into larger enterprises and fulfill their social roles.”

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