KIBO

What KIBO does

KIBO (Korea Technology Finance Corporation / 기술보증기금) is a South Korean public institution established in 1989 under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부). It provides technology-based credit guarantees, AI-driven technology evaluations, factoring, technology custody and evidence-preservation services, social venture certification, and green/carbon finance to Korean SMEs and technology startups. Its core technology stack is organized around the K-TOP open evaluation platform, which hosts three proprietary AI models — KTRS-FM (technology-business evaluation), Tech-Index (innovation growth capacity scoring), and the Origin Technology Evaluation Model (patent DB-based NLP scoring) — all trained on 25 years of in-house evaluation data. Supporting platforms include Tech Safe (technology custody / TTRS evidence records), SME Factoring, Social Venture Square, and the Carbon Neutral Platform, all accessible through the unified KIBO ONE digital portal.

KIBO generates revenue primarily through guarantee fees on government-backed technology loans, factoring service spreads, technology custody fees, and select professional evaluation fees, while evaluation services for digital-branch members are largely freemium (up to two free self-diagnostic evaluations per month). Go-to-market is a hybrid model combining a nationwide field-office network, a comprehensive digital platform ecosystem, and distribution through partner banks (Shinhan, Hana, KDB) and venture capital firms. Its 18-cohort Venture Camp accelerator has supported 890 startups to date, and recent partnerships with Roche Korea, Basel Area Business & Innovation, Seoul Biohub, KOICA, and Hana Bank extend its reach into global life-sciences markets and international social-venture development. The institution has one wholly-owned subsidiary, KIBO Mate, which handles property management and facility services.

The underlying business model is policy-finance oriented rather than market-profit oriented: KIBO absorbs credit risk on guaranteed loans (record KRW 1.4258 trillion in 2025 subrogation payments, more than 3x the COVID-era peak), invests as a limited partner in startup ecosystems (e.g., MITO AI pre-seed), and operates enforcement mechanisms to prevent third-party broker capture of its guarantee pipeline. Customers span innovative startups, biopharma/life sciences firms, distressed SMEs, social ventures, and working-capital SMEs — structurally diversified but exposed to systemic SME credit cycles.

Name

KIBO

Legal name

기술보증기금

Website

https://kibo.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

KIBO (Korea Technology Finance Corporation / 기술보증기금) is a South Korean government-affiliated public institution under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, providing technology guarantees, AI-based evaluations, factoring, technology custody, and social-venture support to domestic SMEs, startups, and biopharma companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Busan

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Technology Guarantee Fees: KIBO generates revenue primarily through guarantee fees charged to SMEs and startups for government-backed technology guarantee products. These guarantees enable policy-financed loans through partner banks and financial institutions, with KIBO absorbing the credit risk. Fees are structured based on guarantee ratio and risk classification.
2. Technology Evaluation Services: KIBO provides technology business evaluations, innovation growth capacity indices, and origin technology assessments. Self-diagnostic evaluations are provided free (up to 2 times per month for digital branch members), while professional offline evaluations may involve fees. These evaluations support venture company certification and public procurement applications.
3. SME Factoring Services: KIBO operates an SME factoring platform where purchase enterprises can issue accounts receivable online and receive repayment at maturity, while selling enterprises can convert receivables to cash before maturity. Revenue derives from discounting/service fees on the factoring transactions.
4. Tech Safe Service Fees: Fees are charged for technology custody (기술지킴이) and transaction evidence records (증거지킴이/TTRS) based on contract duration. Payment methods include bank transfer and card payment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

KIBO is a government-affiliated policy finance institution that provides technology guarantees, AI-based technology evaluations, and financing support for Korean SMEs and startups. Its core offerings include technology guarantee products enabling policy-backed lending through partner banks, an AI-driven K-TOP evaluation platform for assessing technology and innovation capacity, factoring services for SME working capital, technology custody (Tech Safe), social venture certification and evaluation, and a national startup acceleration program (KIBO Venture Camp).

Product overview

KIBO (Korea Technology Finance Corporation / 기술보증기금) is a Korean government-affiliated institution operating a multi-layered platform ecosystem organized around three pillars: (1) financial guarantees — technology guarantees, green finance, IP compensation, and factoring services — providing credit access for SMEs and startups; (2) AI-driven technology evaluation — anchored on K-TOP (Korea Technology-rating Open Platform), which hosts KTRS-FM for technology-business assessment, Tech-Index for innovation growth capacity scoring, and the Origin Technology Evaluation Model for patent-based originality analysis; and (3) technology protection infrastructure — TechSafe offering technology custody (기술지킴이) and evidence preservation (증거지킴이 / TTRS) services, complemented by TechBridge for technology transactions and Carbon Neutral Platform for ESG. These core platforms are accessible through the Kibo ONE unified digital portal and power downstream programs including Social Venture Square (social venture discrimination, evaluation, and social value measurement), Venture Camp (national accelerator with ESG and Global Growth tracks), unicorn support programs, and SME factoring. The portfolio is designed to serve enterprises from pre-startup through scale-up across all growth stages.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 중소기업팩토링: SME factoring service allowing selling enterprises to cashize accounts receivable early and purchasing enterprises to manage accounts payable online.
• 테크세이프 (Tech Safe)
• K-TOP (Korea Technology-rating Open Platform)
• 기술신용평가사 (Technical Credit Evaluator)
• 소셜벤처스퀘어 (Social Venture Square)
• 탄소중립 플랫폼 (Carbon Neutrality Platform)

Products and services

• Technology Guarantee (기술보증) Core guarantee service providing credit and financial guarantees for technology-based SMEs and startups, enabling policy-financed loans through partner banks and financial institutions. KIBO absorbs credit risk in place of insufficient collateral.
• K-TOP (Korea Technology-rating Open Platform)

Quantifiable outcome

• 890 startups supported through KIBO Venture Camp over its history
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Shinhan Bank (신한은행)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 June 2026KIBO and Shinhan Bank launched a joint initiative to support small and medium-sized enterprises in overcoming damage caused by the Middle East war. The partnership focuses on providing policy finance support to affected SMEs through combined resources.
• Seoul Biohub (서울바이오허브)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 May 2026KIBO and Seoul Biohub collaborate to support the global commercialization of bio startups. The partnership aims to leverage both organizations' strengths in bio startup support and technology finance.
• Basel Area Business & InnovationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026KIBO participates in a joint open innovation program with Roche Korea, KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute), and Basel Area Business & Innovation to help Korean biopharma companies expand into global markets. Launching in May 2026, each organization plays a distinct role: Roche Korea leads company selection and explores funding, KHIDI promotes and operates the program, KIBO evaluates companies and supports access to financing, and Basel Area connects companies to its Life Sciences Supercluster and infrastructure.
• KHIDI (Korea Health Industry Development Institute / 한국보건산업진흥원)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026KHIDI promotes and operates the joint open innovation program alongside Roche Korea, KIBO, and Basel Area to support Korean biopharma companies' global market expansion.
• Roche Korea (로체 한국)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 May 2026Roche Korea leads company selection for the joint open innovation program and explores funding opportunities for selected Korean biopharma companies seeking to expand into the Basel Area Life Sciences ecosystem.
• Hana Bank (하나은행)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 December 2025Hana Bank and KIBO signed a KRW 10 billion scale social venture support agreement through the Social Venture Square platform, providing dedicated financing for social ventures.
• KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency / 한국국제협력단)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 December 2025KIBO signed a cooperation agreement with KOICA for 'global advancement and growth support of social ventures,' establishing a framework for international social venture support programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Korea Credit Guarantee Fund (KODIT): KODIT is a sister Korean government-backed credit guarantee institution under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Both KIBO and KODIT provide guarantee and evaluation services for Korean SMEs, and their combined subrogation payments are tracked jointly as leading indicators of SME credit stress.
• Small Business Corporation (SBC): SBC is another Korean public institution under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, providing financial support, training, and market access for SMEs and micro-enterprises. It overlaps with KIBO in serving Korean SMEs with government-backed support programs.

Broad incumbents

• Bpifrance: Bpifrance is the French public investment bank providing credit guarantees, SME financing, and innovation funding. It is comparable to KIBO as a national-scale policy finance institution serving SMEs and startups with a technology and innovation focus.
• KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau): KfW is the German government-owned development bank providing SME financing, technology investment, and innovation funding. It is comparable to KIBO in delivering government-backed credit and innovation support at national scale.
• European Investment Fund (EIF): EIF is the EU's specialist institution for SME financing through guarantees, securitization, and fund investments. It is comparable to KIBO as a public policy institution focused on SME credit access and technology/innovation ecosystem support.
• Industrial Bank of Korea (IBK): IBK is a Korean policy commercial bank focused on SME financing. It works alongside KIBO as a major partner financial institution for policy-backed loans and is comparable in its SME and technology focus.
• Korea Development Bank (KDB): KDB is Korea's primary policy development bank supporting strategic industries and SMEs. As a partner of KIBO in channeling technology financing, KDB is comparable in its public-policy mandate for SME and industrial finance.
• Japan Finance Corporation (JFC): JFC is Japan's public policy finance institution providing SME financing, technology/innovation support, and credit guarantees. It is comparable to KIBO in operating nationwide policy finance programs with technology-focus guarantees.
• China Development Bank (CDB): CDB is a Chinese policy development bank supporting national strategic industries and SMEs. It is comparable to KIBO in operating at scale with a government mandate for technology and SME policy financing.

Regional players

• EXIM Bank of Korea (KEXIM): KEXIM is Korea's export-import bank and policy lender supporting Korean companies' international expansion. Its collaboration with KIBO in financing Korean biopharma global expansion (Basel Area) makes it a regional comparable for internationalization-focused policy finance.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TechKibo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCMF6s380uQOSNRcs231MJ5g
• Facebookfacebook.com/KIBObb
• Instagraminstagram.com/techkibo/?hl=ko

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments4 records

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

Frequently asked questions about KIBO