Gibo, Social Value Creation Excellent Pre-Unicorn Company Guarantee Fee Support

Actively Fostering Companies Creating Social Value by Incorporating Social Contribution Indicators

Baek Kyung-ho, Director of the Korea Technology Finance Corporation (right), and Gal Seung-hoon, CEO of Aimt, selected as an outstanding company for social contribution, are posing for a commemorative photo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Korea Technology Finance Corporation (Chairman Jung Yoon-mo, hereinafter referred to as Kibo) announced on the 24th that it will provide up to 20 million KRW in guarantee fees per company to three companies selected for the second half of this year’s Preliminary Unicorn Special Guarantee program that excel in creating social value such as social contribution and job creation.

On the 17th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups confirmed a total of 15 companies as recipients of the '2020 2nd Preliminary Unicorn Special Guarantee.' Among them, Aimt and Zigbang were selected as outstanding companies in social contribution, and Mulla was selected as an outstanding company in job creation.

Aimt developed vacuum insulation materials using recycled PET bottles and produces boxes for fresh food delivery and medical carriers. Amid increased interest in packaging boxes due to the impact of COVID-19, Aimt received the highest evaluation from both expert evaluation panels and public juries by presenting eco-friendly, recycled products.

Zigbang received excellent evaluations for social contribution activities such as supporting junior startups and win-win cooperation with small business owners, while Mulla was rated highest in job creation for employing 254 employees, a 647% increase compared to 34 employees in 2016.

The Preliminary Unicorn Special Guarantee is a program that supports guarantees of up to 10 billion KRW for companies with outstanding innovation and growth potential. In 2019, 27 companies were selected, and in 2020, 30 companies were selected. To promote social value management, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Kibo incorporated social contribution as an evaluation criterion in the first round of the 2020 Preliminary Unicorn Special Guarantee, and from the second round onward, they have selected companies excelling in social value creation and provided guarantee fee support benefits.

Baek Kyung-ho, a director at Kibo, said, "Kibo will actively support SMEs and startups that contribute to social contribution alongside external growth, and through this, discover exemplary cases to foster a corporate culture leading social value creation." He added, "Going forward, Kibo will strive to support SMEs and startups creating social value in various ways, including social contribution and job creation."

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