What SEMAS does

SEMAS is a South Korean quasi-governmental organization (준정부기관) established on January 1, 2014, through the merger of the former Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion Agency and the Market Management Promotion Agency. Operating under the supervision of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부) and grounded in the Special Act on the Support for Small Enterprises and Micro Enterprises, the organization delivers full-spectrum support to micro and small businesses (under 5 employees in manufacturing, 10 in retail/construction/transportation) and to traditional market operators nationwide. Its mandate is executed through 12 regional headquarters and 78 small-business support centers covering every major metropolitan region of South Korea.

The operational backbone is a portfolio of interconnected digital platforms. The sbiz24.kr portal serves as the unified entry point for policy funding, education, and program applications; ols.semas.or.kr manages SME policy loans and repayment extensions; bigdata.sbiz.or.kr delivers commercial district analytics; edu.sbiz.or.kr hosts the educational platform; and the Onnuri gift certificate system processes transactions at registered traditional market merchants nationwide with 5-10% discounts. Surrounding these platforms are specialized programs including smart store technology distribution (16,200 merchants supported), smart manufacturing support (~1,900 manufacturers), an AI utilization program for SMBs, business stabilization vouchers (2.3M+ beneficiary target), one-stop business-closure support (44,250+ cases), traditional market fire insurance, and a new-business startup academy.

Revenue mechanics follow a managed-services/government-grant model. The bulk of support services are 100% government-funded, while selected programs (smart manufacturing support, smart store distribution, market management) operate in hybrid form with the beneficiary contributing 20%+ and the government covering 80% or less. The Onnuri gift certificate franchise adds a transaction-based revenue stream on a 5% (paper) and 7-10% (digital) take rate with monthly discount caps of KRW 500K-1M per customer. Because SEMAS's mandate, funding, and oversight are statutory, the entity functions as a fiscal extension of the state rather than a commercially competitive operator — making traditional private-market revenue comparators only partially applicable.

Name

SEMAS

Legal name

소상공인시장진흥공단

Website

https://semas.or.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

SEMAS is a South Korean quasi-governmental organization under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups that delivers policy funding, education, digital transformation, smart-store technology, and the Onnuri gift certificate system to micro/small businesses and traditional market merchants through 78 nationwide support centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Daejeon

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 정부 보조금 및 기금 운용: 소기업 및 소상공인 지원을 위한 특별조치법에 따른 소상공인시장진흥기금을 운용하며, 중소벤처기업부의 위탁받아 정책사업을 수행. 공공기관으로 정부의 재정지원으로 설립·운영

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SEMAS is a quasi-governmental organization that delivers comprehensive support services to South Korea's small businesses and traditional market merchants through statutory programs under the Small and Medium Enterprise Protection and Support Act. Its portfolio includes policy fund financing portals, commercial-district big-data analytics, AI and smart-store technology distribution, business stabilization vouchers, traditional market fire insurance mutual aid, one-stop closure support, startup academies, and the Onnuri gift certificate payment platform serving national commerce.

Product overview

SEMAS (소상공인시장진흥공단, Small & Medium Enterprise Market Agency) operates as a quasi-governmental organization providing comprehensive support services for small businesses and traditional markets in South Korea. The organization's digital portfolio consists of multiple interconnected platforms: sbiz24.kr serves as the unified application portal for policy funding, support programs, and government assistance; the commercial district big data platform provides market analytics; the Onnuri gift certificate system facilitates digital payments in traditional markets; and dedicated portals manage policy loans and fire insurance. Supporting these core platforms are specialized programs including smart store technology distribution, smart manufacturing support, AI utilization assistance, and business stabilization vouchers. The organization operates nationally through 12 regional headquarters and 78 support centers, integrating AI-powered sales analytics and big data capabilities into its small business support ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Small Business 24 (소상공인24 / sbiz24.kr) Unified digital platform providing online application access for small business policy funding, business support programs, and government assistance schemes, used by micro and small business owners nationwide.
• Commercial District Big Data Platform (소상공인365 / bigdata.sbiz.or.kr) Big data platform providing commercial-district information, market analytics, BSI (Business Situation Index) surveys, and user satisfaction data covering 2,400 small businesses and 1,300 traditional-market businesses monthly.
• Onnuri Gift Certificate (온누리상품권) Government-issued digital and paper gift certificate for traditional markets and commercial districts, enabling cash-like payments at registered merchants nationwide with built-in consumer discounts (paper: 5%, monthly cap 500,000 KRW; digital: 7–10%, monthly cap 1,000,000 KRW).
• Small Business Policy Fund Portal (소상공인정책자금 / ols.semas.or.kr) Online portal for managing small-business policy loans (growth-based, innovation-driven growth, sales growth, recovery support, and other financing categories) operated by SEMAS and disbursed via partner banks.
• Smart Store Technology Distribution Program (스마트상점 기술보급사업) Subsidy program supporting small businesses in adopting smart-store technologies including self-ordering kiosks, cooking robots, serving robots, smart mirrors, and AI-powered sales-analysis systems, with cumulative support to 16,200 stores.
• Smart Manufacturing Support Program (스마트 제조지원사업) Support program helping small manufacturers adopt smart equipment and SaaS solutions for digital transformation of manufacturing processes, targeting approximately 1,900 businesses with the Small Business Business Department.
• Innovative Small Business AI Utilization Support Program (혁신 소상공인 AI 활용지원 사업) Program helping small businesses adopt and implement artificial intelligence solutions for business improvement, marketed through sbiz24.kr and corporate data portal.
• Traditional Market Fire Insurance Mutual Aid (전통시장 화재공제) Fire insurance program for traditional-market stalls and stores, providing property damage and business-interruption coverage with subsidized premiums, operated via fma24.semas.or.kr.
• Small Business Stabilization Voucher (소상공인 경영안정 바우처) Voucher program covering utility bills, insurance premiums, and vehicle fuel costs for struggling small businesses with annual sales below 104 million KRW, targeting 2.3M+ businesses through a voucher call center (1533-0600).
• One-Stop Closure Support Program (원스톱폐업지원) Comprehensive support program for business closures including demolition costs, consulting, legal advice, and debt restructuring assistance; cumulative support of 44,250+ closures.
• Small Business Knowledge Learning Center (소상공인 지식배움터 / edu.sbiz.or.kr) Educational platform offering online and offline training programs for small business owners, with on-site 1:1 consulting support over 1,100 cases and free legal consultation over 500 cases.
• Everyone's Entrepreneurship (모두의 창업) Startup support program combining local creator training with AI solutions, group mentoring, and funding for pre-entrepreneurs and early-stage founders, supporting up to 600 local track founders.
• New Business Startup Academy (신사업창업사관학교) Startup academy providing intensive education, mentorship, pitching competitions, and startup capital up to 40 million KRW for aspiring entrepreneurs; supported 510+ participants.

Quantifiable outcome

• 44,250건 내외 원스톱폐업지원 지원実績
• +4 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• 한국산업안전보건공단minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 July 2026안전보건 공동 표어(슬로건) 선정 및 안전보건 협력
• 대전경찰청minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026여성·1인 소기업 및 소상공인 안전을 위한 협력
• 하나금융그룹minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 June 2026청년 소기업 및 소상공인 육성을 위한 업무협약 체결. 청년 소기업 및 소상공인 대상 금융 지원 및 교육 협력
• 한국부동산원, 한국지역상권학회minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026민생경제 회복을 위한 업무협약 체결 및 공동 발표회 개최
• 한국식품안전관리인증원minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 April 2026식품안전관리 강화를 위한 업무협약 체결
• 중소벤처기업부coreOthers소기업 및 소상공인시장진흥기금 위탁 관리, 정책사업 수행

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/semas2014
• Facebookfacebook.com/semas.korea
• Instagraminstagram.com/semas_2014
• Xx.com/semas_2014

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about SEMAS