What KOSME does

KOSME (Korea SMEs and Startups Agency / 중소기업진흥공단) is a quasi-governmental public institution established in March 2011 and operating under South Korea's Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Its core mandate is to deliver full-cycle entrepreneurship support to technology-focused founders aged 39 or younger within 3 years of founding, operating through 18 Youth Startup Academy campuses organized into 5 regional clusters across Korea. Programs are delivered at no direct cost to beneficiaries and are funded through ministry budget allocations (KRW 4.4313 trillion Policy Fund for 2026) rather than commercial revenue.

KOSME's product portfolio is structured around three specialized academies: the Youth Startup Academy (regional entrepreneurship training across 18 campuses), the Global Startup Academy (a GLOBAL 5G PROGRAM for high-growth startups within 7 years of founding in ultra-gap, new-industry, and climate-tech fields, supported by 24 overseas hubs), and the Deep Tech Startup Academy (commercialization funding up to KRW 200 million per company plus a 5-D program covering D-GTM and D-Round). The Design Factory — comprising Design Lab, MVP Station, Startup Studio, Design Talk, and a 3D Printing Room — provides physical prototyping infrastructure with commercial-grade 3D printers, CNC, and laser-scanning equipment. Post-Care extends graduated companies with 5 years of continued support including exhibitions, R&D referrals, investment linkage, and workspace. KOSME's leadership team includes VP Jang Hyuk Park (head of New Delhi Global Business Center) and Director Kim Seong-hee (Youth Startup Academy).

The business model is government-grant funded rather than commercial. Across Cohorts 8-12 (2018-2022), KOSME trained 4,753 youth CEOs who collectively created 42,290 jobs and KRW 35,738 billion in cumulative sales, with a 76.7% 5-year survival rate materially above the 33.8% rate for general Korean enterprises. Recent strategic activity (2026) includes MoUs with India's MIDC, a partnership with UNIST on AI transformation, a Samsung Heavy Industries maritime-SME roundtable, and a Smart City Innovation Showcase in Seattle — indicating active geographic and vertical expansion beyond the original youth-tech support mandate.

Name

KOSME

Legal name

Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (한국中小벤처기업진흥원)

Website

https://start.kosmes.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

KOSME is a South Korean quasi-governmental agency that delivers full-cycle entrepreneurship support, prototyping infrastructure, and commercialization funding to young technology founders through 18 campuses and 24 overseas hubs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Startup Incubation Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Business Incubators & Accelerators (EDAMAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Corporate Accelerators & Startup Programs (FSANAHAD), Entrepreneurship & Small Business Workforce Programs (EDAAAOAM)

Keywords

• Youth startup support
• Entrepreneurship training programs
• Prototype development infrastructure
• Global startup incubation
• Deep tech commercialization

Headquarters

HQ city

Jinju

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KOSME provides government-funded startup support programs through the Youth Startup Academy (18 regional campuses for founders aged 39 or younger), the Global Startup Academy (GLOBAL 5G PROGRAM for overseas market entry), and the Deep Tech Startup Academy (commercialization funding up to KRW 200 million for frontier technology ventures). Services span entrepreneurship education, prototyping and product development through the Design Factory, business coaching, investment linkages, and a five-year post-graduation Post-Care support program.

Product overview

KOSME (Korea SMEs and Startups Agency) operates its primary startup support service through the Youth Startup Academy (청년창업사관학교) program, a full-cycle bundled support platform for technology startup founders. The program is structured into three specialized academy tracks: the Youth Startup Academy (청년창업사관학교) covering 18 regional campuses across Korea, the Global Startup Academy (글로벌창업사관학교) focused on overseas market entry with its GLOBAL 5G PROGRAM, and the Deep Tech Startup Academy (딥테크창업사관학교) targeting ultra-gap and climate technology ventures. The Design Factory (디자인팩토리) serves as the dedicated product development infrastructure, comprising five sub-modules — Design Lab (design, prototyping, 3D scanning), MVP Station (maker space for self-production), Startup Studio (photo/video production), Design Talk (consultation rooms), and 3D Printing Room (student-owned printer installation). The Post-Care (후속연계지원) platform extends graduated companies with five years of continued support including exhibitions, investment, and workspace.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Design Factory (디자인팩토리): Product development support infrastructure including Design Lab, MVP Station, Startup Studio, Design Talk, and 3D Printing Room for startup prototype development
• Post-Care (포스트케어)
• Startup Success Package (창업성공패키지)

Products and services

• Youth Startup Academy (청년창업사관학교) Full-cycle startup support program selecting technology-focused founders aged 39 or younger within 3 years of founding, providing bundled support from business planning through commercialization across 18 regional campuses. Designed to cultivate global next-unicorn companies with 5-year follow-up support.
• Global Startup Academy (글로벌창업사관학교) Specialized academy for high-growth startups within 7 years of founding (representative aged 39 or younger), operating in ultra-gap, new industry, and climate technology fields. The GLOBAL 5G PROGRAM focuses on overseas market entry, investment attraction, and global partnerships via 24 overseas hubs.
• Deep Tech Startup Academy (딥테크창업사관학교) Deep tech focused academy supporting startups in ultra-gap, new industry, and climate technology fields. Provides commercialization funding up to KRW 200 million (average KRW 90 million including incentives) and 5-D Deep Tech program (including D-GTM market entry and D-Round investment attraction modules).
• Design Factory (디자인팩토리) Integrated product development infrastructure for Youth Startup Academy students, encompassing Design Lab, MVP Station, Startup Studio, Design Talk, and 3D Printing Room sub-services to help entrepreneurs convert ideas into physical products via product design, structural design, 3D scanning/reverse engineering, prototype manufacturing, photo/video production, and consulting rooms.
• Post-Care (후속연계지원) Five-year ongoing support platform for Youth Startup Academy graduates providing exhibition and overseas training, online/offline distribution, marketing packages, R&D referrals, investment linking, workspace, and networking services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76.7% 5-year survival rate for graduates vs 33.8% for general enterprises
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Washington State Department of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Partner at Smart City Innovation Showcase in Seattle. Event connected 15 Korean startups with US organizations for cross-border collaboration in urban technology solutions.
• University of WashingtonminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 June 2026Academic partner at Smart City Innovation Showcase in Seattle, connecting Korean startups with research and talent resources.
• MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026KOSME signed MoU with MIDC to support Korean SME entry and expansion into India, focusing on Maharashtra as a key industrial hub. Partnership covers investment promotion, workforce development, and collaboration in advanced technologies, aligned with India's Make in India programme.
• MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026KOSME's Global Business Center in New Delhi signed strategic MoU with MIDC targeting Maharashtra as industrial hub. KOSME VP Jang Hyuk Park stated agreement serves as strategic bridgehead to accelerate Korean SME entry amid evolving global supply chains.
• UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 March 2026Partnership to support AI transformation for SMEs in Korea's southeastern region. Jointly developing and operating AI training programs, research initiatives, and startup support to enhance AI capabilities among regional SMEs.
• FISME and KOSMAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2026Three-point engagement program launched for 2026 including technology collaboration, market entry facilitation, and joint manufacturing initiatives to support Korean SME expansion into India.
• Samsung Heavy IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKOSME held solution-oriented roundtable at Samsung Heavy Industries in Geoje to support K-shipbuilding industry recovery. Partnership included 16 key officials and 91 partner companies addressing financing needs, labor shortages, and network loans.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED): Korea's other public-sector startup/entrepreneurship support agency under the same ministry; runs overlapping programs like the Startup Audacious Campaign and K-Startup Grand Challenge, targeting Korean and inbound foreign founders with education, grants, and global expansion support — directly comparable in mission, funding mechanism, and beneficiary base.
• Enterprise Singapore: Singapore government agency that supports local SMEs and startups with grants, capability-building, and internationalization services (e.g., Startup SG); closely comparable to KOSME's combined domestic accelerator + overseas market entry mandate, especially relevant given KOSME's ASEAN hub activity.

Broad incumbents

• Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO): Japanese government-affiliated agency that supports SMEs/startups with global expansion, foreign investment attraction, and partner matching; structurally similar to KOSME's Global Business Center program and a comparable national SME-promotion agency in a neighboring market.
• Israel Innovation Authority: Israeli government authority funding R&D, pilot programs, and grants for startups; structurally similar in providing stage-gated grant funding plus program support to technology founders, especially in deep tech — and a leading global benchmark for national tech-ecosystem development.
• Bpifrance: French public investment bank that funds, guarantees, and accelerates SMEs and startups with grants, loans, and accelerator programs; directly comparable to KOSME in combining public funding with structured startup acceleration (e.g., le Hub, French Tech programs).
• SBA (U.S. Small Business Administration): U.S. federal agency supporting small businesses through training, counseling, and access to capital via resource partners (SBDCs, SCORE); comparable national-government SME support mandate with regional/local delivery, though broader than KOSME's startup-only focus.

Emerging players

• Plug and Play Tech Center: Global corporate accelerator/venture firm noted in KOSME's own partnership records (EverySim deal); both run cohort-based accelerator programs with corporate and government partners — comparable cohort mechanism, but Plug and Play is equity-holding and private.
• Creative Destruction Lab (CDL): Global seed-stage accelerator for science-based startups (AI, climate, biotech) — directly comparable to KOSME's Deep Tech Startup Academy target segments and cohort-based objective-setting approach, but operating as a university-affiliated private accelerator.
• MassChallenge: Global non-equity accelerator for early-stage startups with corporate and government partnerships; comparable in operating without taking founder equity and in building large alumni networks with structured mentorship.

Regional players

• MaRS Discovery District: Toronto-based public-private innovation hub providing startup programs, prototyping facilities, and ecosystem support; comparable to KOSME's Design Factory + cohort model but as a Canadian regional player rather than a nationwide agency.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kosme
• Facebookfacebook.com/kosmekr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments53 records

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

Frequently asked questions about KOSME