Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation

What Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation does

The Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (인천창조경제혁신센터) is a government-affiliated startup support organization operating as one of 19 regional centers in the nationwide Creative Economy Innovation Center (CCEI) network under South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부) and managed by the state-backed Korea Startup Forum (창업진흥원). Established in 2016 and headquartered in Incheon, the center provides a comprehensive service portfolio to early-stage founders and entrepreneurs, including online and offline business counseling, education programs, co-working space reservations, equipment rental, and CCEI Investment matching. All services are offered free of charge, funded through government appropriations, which functions as the organization's primary revenue mechanism in lieu of commercial pricing.

The center's underlying platform is a standard web application (ccei.creativekorea.or.kr) with integrations to Naver Login, Kakao Login, the PASS phone authentication service, and the Ministry's unified SSO membership system. Beyond digital delivery, the Incheon center participates in a physical distribution network spanning every major Korean province and metropolitan area, and maintains dedicated marketing channels on Naver Blog, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. The Bitgaram center within the same network operates under a public-private partnership with KEPCO, illustrating the hybrid state-and-corporate governance model used across the CCEI network.

The customer base is horizontal: early-stage startups and individual entrepreneurs seeking government-backed support, mentorship, education, and physical infrastructure. There are no disclosed paying customers, no commercial pricing model, and no venture or private equity investment in the entity. Strategic activity is constrained to government-directed program expansion and ecosystem integration with adjacent state platforms such as K-Startup and Startbiz, rather than competitive market positioning.

Name

Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation

Legal name

창조경제혁신센터

Website

https://ccei.creativekorea.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation is a government-affiliated startup incubator under South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups, providing free counseling, education, co-working space, equipment rental, and investment matching to early-stage entrepreneurs across the national CCEI network of 19 regional centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Startup Incubation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Venture Creation Centers (EDAHAHAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM), Accelerators & Incubators (Investor-Operated) (FSANAAAM)

Keywords

• Startup incubation services
• Entrepreneurship support programs
• Government business counseling
• Co-working space rental
• Venture investment matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Incheon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation operates as a government-funded startup incubator providing comprehensive support services to early-stage entrepreneurs. Its core offerings include online and offline business counseling, education and training programs, co-working space and equipment rental, business application support for government programs, and CCEI Investment matching to connect startups with potential investors.

Product overview

The Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation (인천창조경제혁신센터) operates as a comprehensive startup support platform offering a multi-channel service ecosystem. The platform provides counseling services (both online and offline), education and business application programs, physical infrastructure including co-working spaces and equipment rental, investment matching through CCEI Investment, and a rich content library featuring video galleries, success stories, and J-Connect magazine. The integrated platform connects startups with mentorship through the Ideas Development (아이디어 발전소) service and maintains regional presence across 19 CCEI centers throughout Korea.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CCEI: Abbreviated name for Creative Economy Innovation Center, used for investment programs and brand identity

Products and services

• Online Counseling (온라인 상담) Online consultation service for startups and entrepreneurs to receive guidance and advice remotely through the CCEI platform.
• Offline Counseling (오프라인 상담) In-person consultation service for entrepreneurs to meet with expert advisors at the regional center.
• Startup Education Programs (교육신청) Application service for startup education programs and training courses offered by the center for entrepreneurs.
• Business Application Support (사업신청) Application portal for startups to apply for various business support programs and government subsidies.
• Co-working Space Rental (입주공간) Co-working space and office rental service for startups to locate and reserve physical workspace at the center.
• Equipment Rental (시설장비대관) Facility and equipment rental service for startups to access specialized equipment and meeting spaces.
• CCEI Investment (CCEI 투자) Investment program connecting startups with potential investors and funding opportunities through the CCEI network.
• Startup Support Programs (창업지원프로그램) Comprehensive startup support programs providing mentorship, education, and business development assistance for entrepreneurs.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부)coreOthersThe primary supervising ministry that oversees CCEI operations and funding. Provides policy direction and government funding for startup support programs.
• Korea Startup Foundation (창업진흥원)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe operating organization (운영) responsible for managing CCEI network operations, platform maintenance, and program delivery.
• Korea Startup Platform (K-Startup)coreTechnology or IntegrationIntegrated platform providing startup-related services; CCEI website provides direct links to K-Startup portal for expanded resources.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• K-Startup (Korea Startup Platform): National government startup portal providing program information, applications, and resources; directly integrated with CCEI and operated by the same parent organization.
• TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startups Korea): Government-run Korean accelerator program that provides matching investment and incubation services to early-stage startups; directly comparable in mandate, target founders, and government-backed funding model.
• Primer (Primer.kr): Korean private accelerator offering seed investment and intensive mentorship programs; comparable in service model and target market to CCEI's accelerator offerings but with a private, faster-moving structure.
• FuturePlay: Leading Korean private accelerator and seed investor providing funding, mentorship, and growth support to early-stage Korean tech startups; directly competes for the same founder pool as CCEI.
• Korea Startup Forum (창업진흥원): Parent operating organization of the CCEI network; runs the unified K-Startup platform, allocates CCEI funding, and delivers overlapping startup support services such as education, counseling, and investment matching.
• D.CAMP (Daejeon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation ecosystem): Korean startup hub providing co-working, investment, and accelerator programs; serves overlapping startup founder segments with CCEI but operates as a private non-profit rather than direct government entity.
• Born2Global Centre: Government-affiliated Korean startup support organization providing globalization programs, mentoring, and investor matching; similar mission and public-funding model to CCEI.

Broad incumbents

• Techstars: Global accelerator network offering mentorship-driven programs and seed investment; comparable business model to CCEI's accelerator component at much larger international scale.
• Y Combinator: Global benchmark for startup accelerators; provides a useful comparable for the structural model (cohort-based accelerator with mentorship, investment, and demo day) that CCEI emulates at national scale.
• KOTEC (Korea Technology Finance Corporation): Government-backed Korean technology financing institution providing loans, guarantees, and investment to SMEs and tech startups; broader mandate than CCEI but overlapping target founders and government funding.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@jccei
• Facebookfacebook.com/cceibusan
• Instagraminstagram.com/jeju_ccei
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbccei

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments18 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation