Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center

What Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center does

Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center (대전 창조경제혁신센터, CCEI) is a government-affiliated startup support organization operating as the Daejeon node of a nationwide network of 19 regional Creative Economy Innovation Centers across South Korea. It is supervised by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부) and operated by the Korean Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (창업진흥원, KISED). Its functional role is to provide free, publicly-funded support services to aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups in the Daejeon region, a corridor anchored by KAIST and other advanced research institutions. The center is not a venture-backed or revenue-generating entity; rather, it functions as a national policy instrument for distributed startup ecosystem development.

The center's service portfolio spans online and offline counseling, education program registration, business program applications, co-working space reservation, equipment and facility rental, and an investment-linkage function called 'CCEI Investment' (CCEI 투자). All services are delivered free of charge through a unified web platform (ccei.creativekorea.or.kr) backed by an integrated SSO ('중기 통합회원') login that connects users to related MSS-affiliated portals including Startbiz and K-Startup. The platform is modular, comprising counseling, education, business, space, equipment, investment, video, and promotion modules, and is maintained by contracted vendors including VVID Global Co., Ltd. (website) and SolidEng Co., Ltd. (cloud systems). No proprietary technology platforms or AI/ML capabilities are described in the source material.

Commercially, the center has no direct revenue model — it is sustained entirely by public funding allocated through MSS and channeled via KISED. Its go-to-market motion is community-led, with programs co-promoted by KAIST Holdings, Daejeon Technopark, and the Daejeon CCEI as part of the 'Deep Tech Scale-up Valley Development Project' starting in 2025, exemplified by the K-Robotics Startup Cup 2026. Marketing and distribution rely on the official website, regional social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Naver Blog, YouTube), earned media, and physical presence at 19 regional centers. Customers are not procured in a commercial sense; rather, the center serves a long tail of individual entrepreneurs and early-stage startups, with no disclosed logos, pricing tiers, or contracted revenue.

Name

Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center

Legal name

Creative Economy Innovation Center

Website

https://ccei.creativekorea.or.kr

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center (대전 창조경제혁신센터) is a government-funded startup support hub operating under South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups and managed by KISED. It delivers free counseling, education, co-working, equipment, and investment-linkage services to early-stage entrepreneurs and startups in Daejeon and the national CCEI network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Startup Support Services

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Facilities Support Management Services (8744)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA), Technical Universities with Entrepreneurship & Incubation Focus (EDAHAEAH)

Keywords

• Startup incubation
• Government innovation centers
• Entrepreneur support services
• Robotics startup programs
• Deep tech accelerator

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Public funding / government support services: As a government-funded innovation center under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부) and operated by the Korean Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (창업진흥원), the center provides free startup support services including mentoring, education, investment linkage, and facility access to entrepreneurs and startups. There is no direct revenue model — it is sustained by public funding.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center is a government-funded startup support organization that provides free services to entrepreneurs and early-stage startups, including mentoring from KAIST researchers, online and offline counseling, education programs, business application processing, co-working space leasing, facility and equipment rental, and investment linkage to the CCEI Investment program and TIPS ecosystem. It operates the Daejeon node of a national network of 19 Creative Economy Innovation Centers under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups of South Korea.

Product overview

Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center (창조경제혁신센터) is a comprehensive government-backed startup support platform operating under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and managed by the Korean Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development. The platform consists of a unified web portal serving 19 regional innovation centers across South Korea, offering a modular service architecture that includes online and offline counseling, education programs, business application processing, co-working space reservations, equipment rental, investment matching, and educational video content. Users access these services through an integrated SSO login system, with regional centers (Seoul, Busan, Daejeon, Gwangju, Incheon, Ulsan, Sejong, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungnam, Chungbuk, Gyeongnam, Gyeongbuk, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk, Jeju, Pohang, and Bitgaram) each providing localized support while sharing the common platform infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Economy Innovation Center (창조경제혁신센터) — National Startup Support Platform A government-backed startup support platform offering free mentoring, online/offline counseling, education programs, business application processing, co-working space reservation, equipment rental, investment linkage via CCEI Investment, and content resources (Promotion Hall, Video Hall). It serves aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups across 19 regional innovation centers in South Korea, including the Daejeon center.
• K-Robotics Startup Cup 2026 (K-로보틱스 스타트업컵) Robotics-focused startup competition and acceleration program providing selected teams with KAIST researcher mentoring, direct investment reviews, TIPS linkage opportunities, and access to robotics accelerators and VC networks. Targeted at aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage startups in robotics and physical AI.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• KAIST HoldingscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025KAIST Holdings and Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center jointly promote the K-Robotics Startup Cup 2026, a competition targeting aspiring entrepreneurs and early-stage robotics startups. KAIST researchers provide mentoring to selected teams, and there are direct investment reviews and TIPS linkage possibilities for participants.
• Daejeon TechnoparkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Daejeon Technopark is a joint promoter of the K-Robotics Startup Cup 2026 along with KAIST Holdings and Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center. The program is part of the 'Deep Tech Scale-up Valley Development Project' starting in 2025, providing selected robotics startup teams with mentoring, investment reviews, and access to robotics accelerators and VC networks.
• Korean Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (创业진흥원)coreOthersThe Korean Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (创业진흥원, Kised) operates the Creative Economy Innovation Center network nationwide. It provides the operational infrastructure, personnel, and programmatic framework for the center, and handles data subject requests, privacy protection, and overall center governance.
• Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부)coreOthersThe Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부, MSS) supervises the Creative Economy Innovation Center network. It sets policy direction and funding priorities for the national startup support ecosystem.
• Startbiz (startbiz.go.kr)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStartbiz portal is linked from the CCEI website as a partner platform for business registration and startup incorporation services.
• K-Startup (k-startup.go.kr)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorK-Startup portal is linked as a partner platform for accessing national startup support programs and resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Seoul Creative Economy Innovation Center: Sister center in the same nationwide 19-center CCEI network operated by KISED under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups; offers identical free startup support services and competes for the same founder pool in the Seoul metropolitan area.
• Busan Creative Economy Innovation Center: Another sister CCEI center in the same national network; provides the same modular services (counseling, education, space, investment linkage) to regional startups and represents a parallel regional mandate comparable to Daejeon CCEI.
• D.CAMP: Major private-sector Korean startup hub and accelerator based in Seoul, providing co-working, mentorship, and investment to early-stage founders; directly comparable to CCEI in offering incubation services to Korean startups but operating under a private (bank-sponsored) model.
• SparkLabs Korea: Leading private Korean accelerator running multiple cohort programs (including SparkLabs Korea and SparkLabs AI); competes with Daejeon CCEI for Korean early-stage founders, particularly in deep tech and AI, while operating a venture-backed for-profit model.
• Daejeon Technopark: Local government-affiliated technology park in Daejeon that jointly operates the K-Robotics Startup Cup 2026 with Daejeon CCEI and KAIST Holdings; serves a parallel mandate supporting regional startups and technology commercialization in Daejeon.
• Pangyo Techno Valley: Korea's flagship technology and startup innovation cluster near Seoul operated through public-private partnership; offers incubation, acceleration, and corporate-partner programs to Korean startups comparable to those of Daejeon CCEI.
• TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup): Korean government startup support program operated by the same parent organization (KISED) that operates Daejeon CCEI; provides direct investment support to startups via private TIPS operators, making it a closely linked comparator in the national startup support stack.

Broad incumbents

• KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency): Korean government-affiliated trade and investment promotion agency that supports Korean SMEs and startups with global expansion resources; comparable as a public-sector Korean business-support institution with overlapping mandates in startup and SME development.
• Y Combinator: Global benchmark for startup accelerators; provides seed funding, mentorship, and program structure that Daejeon CCEI emulates in part through its modular education, counseling, and investment-linkage offerings, though operating at vastly greater scale and private funding.
• Techstars: Established global accelerator network with multiple industry-focused programs; comparable to Daejeon CCEI as a structured accelerator offering mentorship, education, and investor access, though operating as a private for-profit entity with corporate partners.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cceibusan
• Instagraminstagram.com/jeju_ccei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments2 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Daejeon Creative Economy Innovation Center