"Everyone's Startup" Applications Surpass 40,000... 438 Selected Through Expedited Screening

Over 43,000 Applications as Deadline Approaches
67% of Applicants Are in Their 20s and 30s, Over 55% from Non-Metropolitan Areas

The number of applicants for the "Everybody's Startup" project has surpassed 40,000, marking the largest number of entries ever recorded for an idea contest run by a government ministry.

Hansung-sook, Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, is delivering a greeting at the '2026 Everybody's Startup Campus Tour Talk Concert' held on the 13th at Chung-Ang University in Dongjak-gu, Seoul. Ministry of SMEs and Startups

According to the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, as of 4:00 p.m. on May 14, the number of applicants who submitted ideas for the Everybody's Startup project reached 43,877. Applications for Everybody's Startup ideas will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. on May 15.

This is the largest scale among all idea contests ever conducted by government ministries. It exceeds the "Everybody's Idea" contest by the Korean Intellectual Property Office (27,185 entries) and the "Pre-Startup Package" by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (11,952 entries) by more than 10,000 entries.

An official from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups stated, "In the first 25 days of the application period, 10,000 people applied, and as of May 14, the number surpassed 40,000," adding, "As the deadline approaches, the proportion of applications from regions outside the Seoul metropolitan area is increasing."

Based on the current application statistics by age and region, 67% of the applicants are young people, and 55% are from non-metropolitan areas. Minister Hansung-sook and vice ministers toured campuses nationwide to help spread the enthusiasm for startups.

The proportion of applicants by age group is as follows: those in their 20s or younger account for 42.4%, those in their 30s make up 24.5%, those in their 40s 18.7%, those in their 50s 10.2%, and those aged 60 or older 4.0%. By region: the Seoul metropolitan area accounts for 45.3%, Yeongnam region 19.2%, Chungcheong region 15.1%, Honam region 12.7%, Gangwon Province 6.0%, and Jeju 1.7%.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups selected 49 institutions with the highest number of applicants and granted them fast-track review authority, enabling the selection of 438 entrepreneurs through expedited reviews. In the first round, 130 people were selected through 38 institutions, and in the second round, 308 people were selected through 49 institutions. The results of the second round of selections are scheduled to be announced by May 14.

According to the fast-track review results for the Everybody's Startup project, 324 were selected for technology startups and 114 for local startups. By age, 67% (294 people) were young people aged 39 or younger, and 76.3% (334 people) were from non-metropolitan areas. The proportion of individual applicants was 61.9% (271 people), while startup teams accounted for 38.1% (167 people). Certain incubators, such as CNT Tech and Primer, reached the maximum idea review limit of 1,200 entries.

Among those who passed the fast-track review were a Mongolian international student and a former firefighter, drawing attention. The first foreign recipient, the Mongolian student, was selected for submitting an idea for an AI platform that helps non-English-speaking students independently prepare to study in Korea. An entrepreneur with 33 years of experience as a firefighter was also selected for his idea to develop specialized fire-resistant suits. In the local sector, there was also a case selected for the idea of establishing a complex cultural space in Gwangju that connects local bookstores and breweries.

The Everybody's Startup project is a talent development platform that provides anyone with an idea the opportunity to challenge themselves and start a business. Applicants can receive coaching from more than 100 incubators, including universities and accelerators, as well as from a mentor group of over 500 experienced startup founders. The final winner will receive funding of more than 1 billion won and will be connected to follow-up growth programs for global expansion. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups plans to launch the second round of Everybody's Startup applications as early as the end of next month, using the supplementary budget of 200 billion won that has been secured.

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