2000 Startups Join Forces to "Improve Regulations to Enable Full Potential"

7th Anniversary of Korea Startup Forum Launch
'Family Day & Founders Forum' Held

Korea Startup Forum (hereinafter referred to as Kospo) has grown into the largest startup organization in Korea, with more than 2,000 startups and innovative companies participating, seven years after its launch. Based on this, it plans to focus on creating a future innovation ecosystem by continuously spreading a culture that respects startups and entrepreneurial spirit.

On the occasion of its 7th anniversary, Kospo announced this on the 10th by holding the 'Family Day & Founders Forum.' The event looked back on the activities over the past seven years since its launch and discussed Kospo's future roles and vision ahead of its 10th anniversary, as well as the identity of entrepreneurs. Kospo was launched in September 2016 by about 50 startups coming together to support the development of the startup ecosystem and represent common interests. Over the past seven years, it has worked to eliminate unreasonable regulations on startups, propose startup-friendly policies, strengthen the entrepreneur community, and expand global exchanges.

Along with the development of the startup ecosystem, Kospo’s role has also expanded. Startups have rapidly grown as a key pillar of the industry by leading future industries, moving away from the traditional industrial structure centered on large manufacturing companies. In this process, Kospo published the policy report 'A Country Good for Startups,' which was partially reflected in government national tasks, and hosted the global startup festival 'COMEUP,' achieving the highest number of attendees ever. It has also improved the business environment and spread entrepreneurial spirit through activities such as improving unreasonable regulations on startups, proposing startup-friendly policies, providing education and seminars for startups and entrepreneurs, and nurturing talent.

At the Korea Startup Forum 7th Anniversary 'Family Day & Founders Forum,' Park Jae-wook, Chairman of Kospo (third from the left), is speaking.

As a result, Kospo is currently recognized as the largest startup organization in Korea, with more than 2,160 startups and innovative companies participating. In particular, as of September this year, startup member companies recorded annual sales of 20.0418 trillion KRW, cumulative investment attraction of 29.3394 trillion KRW, and employment of 49,501 people. Thirteen unicorn companies are also included.

At the forum, two entrepreneurs took the stage as speakers to share their experiences and insights gained while growing together with Kospo. First, Kim Tae-ho, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of HYBE and co-founder of the carpool service Poolus in 2016, shared his views on the identity of startups and business, saying that through insights gained by pioneering a new business area of vehicle sharing, he was able to continuously pursue new challenges and innovations even in an entertainment company. Jung Jae-sung, Vice President and co-founder of Law&Company (LawTalk), cited the power of solidarity among startups as the background for overcoming conflicts with professional organizations that have continued for about nine years from the early days of the startup, and said he would actively contribute to the development of legal tech and startups.

Park Jae-wook, Chairman of Kospo, said, "Over the past seven years, Kospo has achieved remarkable growth as the center of the startup ecosystem, and this was possible thanks to the voluntary participation and cooperation of startups and entrepreneurs." He added, "Kospo will continue to advance activities such as regulatory improvements, strengthening the entrepreneur community, and expanding global exchanges so that innovative companies can fully demonstrate their capabilities, and will expand its scope as a community representing startups."

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