Danal Selected as Operator for Ministry of SMEs and Startups' "LIPS" Program... Supporting Small Business Startup Success

Danal announced on March 18 that it has formed a consortium with the accelerator institution TwoSun Campus and has been selected as an operator for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ 2026 LIPS (Leap Investment Program for Startups) program.

LIPS is a program in which a private operator first invests in small businesses with high growth potential, after which the government provides matching policy funds and business commercialization support. The purpose is to foster small business owners into entrepreneurial business operators by combining private investment with public funding.

The program operates in two types. "LIPS I," a private investment-linked matching loan, offers support up to five times the operator's investment, with a maximum of 500 million won. "LIPS II," which supports investment in innovative small business owners, offers up to three times the investment, capped at 200 million won.

In this project, Danal will be responsible for discovering promising small business owners and providing investment, while TwoSun Campus will handle growth programs such as education, consulting, and sales channel support. Both parties plan to strengthen the growth foundation for innovative small businesses by combining investment and business incubation.

Danal, in particular, plans to use its own platform assets—including payment infrastructure and commerce networks—to support the digital transformation and business expansion of small businesses. Even after investment, it will continue to provide practical growth support, such as service integration, sales channel expansion, and marketing cooperation.

A company representative stated, "Being selected as an operator for the LIPS program is an important opportunity to support the growth of innovative small businesses, leveraging the industrial infrastructure and investment capabilities of private companies. We will actively discover promising small businesses and support them at the group level so they can grow into entrepreneurial operators."

Meanwhile, following the selection of its affiliate Danal Investment Partners as an operator for the TIPS program last year, Danal’s role in the domestic startup ecosystem is expected to expand as it also takes on the LIPS operator role. TIPS is a Ministry of SMEs and Startups program that selects and nurtures technology-based startup teams. Danal plans to pursue an integrated incubation program encompassing companies in ICT services, fintech, content, artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, and small businesses selected through LIPS.

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