[MWC26] SKT President Jaeheon Jung: "Supporting 500 Startups Over Five Years by 2030"

Startup Pavilion
"We Will Be an AI Partner"

Jaeheon Jung, CEO of SK Telecom (first from the right front), is having a lunch meeting with the representatives of 15 startups.

Jaeheon Jung, CEO and President of SK Telecom, announced at MWC26, the world's largest mobile exhibition being held in Barcelona, Spain, that the company will support the growth of a total of 500 startups by 2030.

At '4YFN (4 Years From Now),' a side event of MWC26, SK Telecom launched the 'SKT Startup Pavilion' to support startups in the fields of AI and ESG (environmental, social, and governance).

The company is supporting the exhibition of 15 startups, including Mesacure Company, Bering Lab, Broz, Stress Solution, Sixty Hertz, Enerzai, Airis, Aiv, Yukhaehan Project, Invelab, Chiloen, Coxwave, Konexi, Cubic, and Fornatures.

On March 3 (local time), CEO Jung held a lunch meeting with the representatives of the 15 participating startups. During the meeting, he introduced SK Telecom's plans and vision for energizing the startup ecosystem. He also discussed the technologies and business models of each startup with their leaders and exchanged views on the challenges they face in global expansion and collaboration with large companies.

CEO Jung referred to the government's 'Startup and Venture Policy Vision' and 'Comprehensive Plan for Becoming One of the World’s Top Four Venture Powerhouses,' expressing his commitment to fostering AI startups. He stated, "SK Telecom will actively respond to the government's commitment by becoming an 'AI partner' for startups."

He also unveiled a specific plan, saying, "SK Telecom will support the growth of 500 startups over the next five years, using a variety of approaches by 2030."

This year, the company aims to support a total of 80 startups by participating in various initiatives, including its own startup acceleration program 'SKetch' and government-sponsored projects. The number of startups supported each year will be gradually increased: 90 in 2027, 100 in 2028, 110 in 2029, and 120 in 2030, resulting in an average of 100 startups supported per year over the five-year period.

SK Telecom stated, "We will continue to provide comprehensive cooperation so that startups can advance into the global market."

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