Kookmin University Campus Town Selects 50 Promising Startups... Full-Scale Support for Investment and Scaling Up

2026 Kookmin University Campustown Networking Day (Provided by Kookmin University)

Kookmin University (President Seungryul Jung) Campus Town has launched a full-scale initiative to establish a local startup ecosystem, centering around 50 startup companies. To this end, the Kookmin University Campus Town Project Group announced that it held the "2026 Kookmin University Campus Town Networking Day" at Zero-One Design Center on March 13, 2026.

The event brought together approximately 80 participants, including representatives from the 50 startup companies selected through the "2026 Campus Town Resident Startup Competition," as well as Jinshik Son, Vice President for Planning; Kiin Lee, Director of Administration; Sangho Lee, Deputy Director of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Division; Jongseong Kim, Head of the Campus Town Project Group; Seunghwan Oh, Secretary-General; Joongsik Jang, Director of Zero-One Design Center; Junkyung Seo, Head of Investment at Kookmin University Holdings; officials from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seongbuk District; and members of the mentor group. The program featured a variety of activities to share the Campus Town vision and to recognize the achievements of outstanding startup teams.

The main programs of the Networking Day included: △ Presentation of the Kookmin University Campus Town business plan; △ Appointment ceremony for the mentor group; △ Awards ceremony for outstanding companies in the startup competition; and △ Introduction of resident companies and networking sessions. The grand prize in the startup competition was awarded to The Sleep Factory Co., Ltd. (CEO Junhyuk Park), while the excellence awards went to Pingba Co., Ltd. (CEO Jaeho Shin), Swan Robotics Co., Ltd. (CEO Baekgyu Cho), and Pinkpacker Co., Ltd. (CEO Jin Jeong).

Kookmin University Startup Competition Excellent Company Award Ceremony (from top left clockwise: Junhyuk Park, CEO of The Sleep Factory Co., Ltd., Jaeho Shin, CEO of Pingba Co., Ltd., Baekgyu Cho, CEO of Swan Robotics Co., Ltd., Jin Jung, CEO of Pink Packer Co., Ltd.) (Provided by Kookmin University)

Jongseong Kim, Head of the Kookmin University Campus Town Project Group and professor at the Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship & Venture, stated, "With this Networking Day as a starting point, Kookmin University Campus Town will shift from simple incubation to a startup support model focused on investment and commercialization." He added, "We will focus on integrated growth support that connects mentoring, commercialization, and investment, with the goal of helping early-stage startups overcome the so-called 'Valley of Death.'"

As part of this strategy, Kookmin University has appointed 14 experts in various startup fields, led by Special Professor Hyojin Song, as mentors to provide hands-on support for resident companies throughout the processes of technology commercialization, investment attraction (IR), market validation (PMF), and global expansion. In addition, in collaboration with the Kookmin University Holdings Investment Division, the university plans to establish the Seoul Campus Town University Startup Fund, building a "Scale-up Ladder" that links investment with research and development (R&D) to accelerate technology startup growth.

Jinshik Son, Vice President for Planning and Head of the Industry-Academic Cooperation Division at Kookmin University, commented, "We aim to transform Campus Town into a deal sourcing hub that goes beyond startup incubation and continuously discovers investable startups." He added, "We will work in partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government and Seongbuk District to create a regional innovative startup ecosystem where universities nurture 'baby unicorns.'"

Meanwhile, after being selected as a startup-type Campus Town by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in 2026, Kookmin University has significantly expanded its support for resident companies and strengthened its startup infrastructure. To this end, the university has newly established more than 50 resident spaces at the Daehak-ro Zero-One Design Center and the Startup Incubation Center in Gireum-dong, Seongbuk-gu.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.