KB Kookmin Card, Recruiting Startups for the 5th Batch of 'Future Nine'

Until the End of June, Applicants Can Choose and Apply for One of the Three Recruitment Fields on the Future9 Website

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young] KB Kookmin Card announced on the 2nd that it is recruiting participants for the 5th batch of 'Future Nine,' a startup accelerating program that discovers and collaborates with startups leading future lifestyle innovation in nine areas including trend, human tech, and lifestyle.

This recruitment is being conducted until the end of June for companies possessing innovative technologies, products, services, and capabilities in a total of nine areas: ▲Trend (Online Life, Hyper Local, ESG/Global) ▲Human Tech (Life Innovation Technology, Financial Innovation Technology, Hyperconnectivity Technology) ▲Lifestyle (Joyful Life, Healthy Life, Convenient Life).

Especially this year, to maximize collaboration outcomes with startups, the recruitment fields have been subdivided into three types according to collaboration methods: ▲Project Collaboration Type ▲Business Collaboration Type ▲Future Innovation Type.

The Project Collaboration Type targets startups capable of collaborating on projects proposed by KB Kookmin Card, such as joint development of the KB Pay simple payment module and MyData-linked services. The Business Collaboration Type recruits startups wishing to collaborate with KB Kookmin Card across the card business based on their existing technologies and business models for joint commercialization. The Future Innovation Type selects startups with various innovative technologies such as 4th industrial revolution technologies and differentiated business models to support new business discovery.

KB Kookmin Card plans to select about 10 companies through document screening and interviews among the startups applying for the program.

Selected startups participating in the program will receive benefits including ▲new business discovery and joint commercialization promotion ▲collaboration on new product and new technology development ▲collaboration with KB Kookmin Card’s major platforms (KB Pay, Liiv Mate, etc.) ▲utilization of payment data and joint marketing ▲investment support using the exclusive Future Nine fund ▲follow-up and linked investment support through consortium companies with major affiliates of KB Financial Group such as KB Kookmin Bank and KB Securities.

Additionally, through cooperation with program partners such as N15 and CLAiON, enhanced benefits compared to last year will also be provided, including ▲prototype production support ▲marketing and live commerce infrastructure support ▲consulting related to IT and cloud infrastructure construction.

At the end of the year, a demo day will be held to introduce the program’s achievements and collaboration cases of participating startups to major stakeholders including professional investors.

A KB Kookmin Card official said, "The 5th program subdivided the recruitment fields to increase outcomes and strengthened benefits for participating startups. We hope for active participation and interest from companies with innovative capabilities."

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