Recruitment open from March 9 to March 24, 2026

Providing specialized startup education and commercialization funds of up to 58.5 million won

From March 9 to 24, Sejong Research and Business Cooperation Foundation of Korea University Sejong Campus announced that it will recruit startup companies to participate in the ‘2026 Sports Industry Pre-Startup & Early-Stage Startup Support Project.’

The project is overseen by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and operated by the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation (KSPO). It aims to support prospective and early-stage entrepreneurs in the sports industry by providing systematic startup education and incubation programs, enabling them to respond to rapidly changing market environments and enhance competitiveness.

The Sejong Research and Business Cooperation Foundation, in partnership with KSPO, operates this project to discover promising business models in the sports sector and nurture entrepreneurs equipped with professional expertise. Applications can be submitted online through the ‘Support Program Announcements’ section of the Sports Industry Support (SPOBIZ) website.

Companies selected through this announcement will receive various programs, including customized startup education, AI-based market and service analysis, legal and patent training, IR capability enhancement, and global expansion support. In addition, each company will receive an average of 45 million won, with a maximum of 58.5 million won in commercialization funding.

Korea University Sejong Campus operates the Startup Support Center (Pre- & Early-stage Startup Support Office), a dedicated organization for nurturing new businesses. It has established a systematic support system ranging from discovering promising companies to providing specialized programs and follow-up support.

Ji Sangcheol, Director of the Sejong Startup Support Center, stated, "We will do our best to actively discover startups with innovative ideas and technologies and support their business advancement through customized growth programs."

Detailed information regarding the '2026 Sports Industry Pre- & Early-stage Startup Support Project' can be found on the KSPO Sports Industry Support website (https://spobiz.kspo.or.kr).