AC Association Publishes Industry White Paper 2026... Number of Accelerators Grows 12-Fold in 9 Years

From 25 to 295 Accelerators Between 2017 and 2025
Bridging Regional Gaps Remains a Challenge... 76% of Investments Concentrated in the Seoul Metropolitan Area

The Korea Association of Accelerators (hereinafter referred to as the AC Association) announced the publication of the 'Accelerator Industry White Paper 2026' on the 29th. The white paper summarizes the growth trajectory and structural characteristics of the industry, marking the 10th anniversary of the institutionalization of accelerators (ACs and startup planners).

Jeon Hwasung, President of the Korea AC Association. Photo by Yonjoun Cho.

The white paper analyzes six areas—registration, investment, investment ranking, private investment associations, venture investment associations, and sub-funds under the Korea Fund of Funds—covering data from 495 registered ACs as of the end of 2025 (based on March financial disclosures) over the nine-year period from 2017 to 2025.

According to the white paper, after the launch of the system, the number of ACs increased from 25 in 2017 to 295 in 2025, growing 11.8 times in nine years. Cumulative investment during the same period reached 4.5291 trillion won with 13,751 cases, while annual investment amounts were tallied at 6.9 billion won in 2017, 591.6 billion won in 2021, and 1.0117 trillion won in 2025.

Investments were concentrated in early-stage startups. Early-stage companies received 2.5008 trillion won, accounting for 55.2% of cumulative investment, and 8,999 cases, accounting for 65.4% of total investments. The proportion of cases was 10.2 percentage points higher than that of the amount, indicating a structure of small-sized, high-frequency investments. The average period from AC registration to first investment was 0.7 years, and 73.0% of nurturing programs were either batch-based or mentoring-based.

Looking at funding channels, the number of formations increased, but the average size of each association shrank. The average establishment amount per private investment association dropped by 72.4% from 2.54 billion won in 2018 to 700 million won in 2025. For venture investment associations, it decreased by 33.8%, from 13.9 billion won in 2022 to 9.2 billion won in 2025. The share of investments accounted for by ACs in the Korea Fund of Funds sub-fund dropped from 13.3% in 2024 to 9.6% in 2025, with a cumulative share of 7.0%.

There were also signs of the industry entering a maturity phase. New registrations declined for two consecutive years, by 19.0% in 2024 and 17.6% in 2025, and a total of 156 ACs were de-registered during this period.

The white paper identified regional disparities as a key issue. ACs located in the Seoul metropolitan area accounted for 329 organizations (66.5%), executing 3.4349 trillion won, or 75.8% of cumulative investment—a 9.3 percentage point higher amount compared to their share of the number of institutions. However, the share of investments made in early-stage startups was higher in non-metropolitan areas, at 69.4%, compared to 63.6% in the metropolitan area—a difference of 5.8 percentage points.

Junseong Jeon, President of the AC Association, commented, "If the past 10 years marked the period when accelerators became established as an industry, the next decade must be a time to prove how this industry can grow. I hope this white paper will not merely serve as a record but also as a milestone for reducing metropolitan-regional gaps and addressing inter-institutional differences in capacity and roles."

The association will distribute the white paper to member firms and policy organizations and release it through its website. Starting next year, the association will take charge of startup planner statistics, aiming to enhance statistical consistency using raw data and to link the issues identified in the white paper to policy recommendations.

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