Gyeongsangbuk-do announced that 9 local startups successfully secured a total of KRW 3.68 billion in investments at the '2026 Gyeongbuk Startup Investment Matching Day'. Additional follow-up investments are expected to follow based on the investment discussions held during the event.

The province hosted the two-day event at Gumico from the 13th to the 14th, bringing together the investment, finance, and corporate collaboration opportunities necessary for a company's growth stage. A total of 103 startups, 32 investment firms, 15 regional innovation institutions, 7 large and mid-sized enterprises, and 8 financial institutions participated.

The event featured 1-on-1 investment consultations between startups and investors, investment IR and IR auditions, meetups with large and mid-sized enterprises and financial institutions, TIPS meetups and IR, and preliminary unicorn scale-up IR.

The province hosts this investment matching day annually to ensure that startups with great technologies and ideas can receive timely investments tailored to their growth stage. The ultimate goal is to build a virtuous cycle venture ecosystem where local startups receive investments, grow, and become new growth engines for the regional economy—spanning from discovery, nurturing, investment, growth, and exit, all the way to reinvestment.

At last year’s event, 11 participating companies attracted KRW 13.1 billion in investments. Three companies were selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' TIPS program, and one successfully achieved an M&A.

Through the 'Everyone's Startup' initiative, the province maintains a comprehensive, growth-stage support system ranging from discovering promising startups, creating a G-Star Fund of over KRW 1 trillion, linking private investment firms, supporting TIPS entry, nurturing preliminary unicorns, open innovation with large and mid-sized enterprises, to connecting with financial institutions.

Driven by full-cycle support encompassing startup discovery, nurturing, direct investment, follow-up investment linkage, and global expansion, Gyeongsangbuk-do had nurtured 13 'Baby Unicorns' as of the end of 2025. In addition, 73 companies were selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' TIPS program, and 30 companies received CES Innovation Awards.

At CES 2026, 5 local companies also won Innovation Awards, reaffirming the technological competitiveness of Gyeongbuk startups.

Moving forward, the province plans to connect the capabilities of universities, research institutions, investment firms, large and mid-sized enterprises, financial institutions, and startup support organizations to expand an environment where promising startups can launch, receive investment, and grow right within the region.

Yang Geum-hee, Vice Governor for Economic Affairs of Gyeongsangbuk-do, stated, "For startups to leap into growing enterprises, alongside great technology and ideas, an environment where they can receive investment at the right moment is crucial. We hope that the investment discussions held during this matching day will lead to follow-up investments, further strengthening the growth momentum of Gyeongbuk startups."

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