Accelerator · South Korea

K-Startup Grand Challenge

A Korean government accelerator, run in English since 2016, that helps foreign-led startups enter Korea through three selective phases, with free workspace, incorporation and visa support, and prize money for finalists.

Closed Run by Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Korea)

Visit the programme's site

Verified 18 October 2026 · From the programme's own pages

Terms

Funding: not published Prize money for the top 20 teams and additional commercialisation grants for the top 8; Phase 2 teams may receive up to KRW 8 million for travel to program activities in Korea
Instrument: not published
Equity taken: not published
Programme fee: not published
Duration: not published
Cohort size: not published
Cohorts: not published
Delivery: Hybrid
Stages: Pre-seed, seed, post-seed
Sectors: Sector-agnostic
Open to founders from: Anywhere
Perks: Free co-working space in Pangyo and Gangnam
Incorporation help and startup visa support (D-10-2 and D-8-4)
PoC opportunities with Korean corporates and investor connections
Up to three years of support after the program

Phase 1 (July to September 2026, online, 80 teams), Phase 2 (September to December 2026, 40 teams), Phase 3 (December 2026 to June 2027, 20 teams); the program is run in English.

Application dates

ClosedKSGC 2026

Who can apply

The CEO or representative founder must hold non-Korean citizenship; Korean co-founders may join
MVP, traction or validated technology, and ready to enter the Korean market
No Korean legal entity is needed to apply; incorporation and local hiring are required in Phase 3
Stage: pre-seed, seed, post-seed

What founders should check

The programme does not publish how much equity it takes. Ask before you accept a place.
It does not publish a fee. Ask whether you pay for desks, services or the programme itself.
It mixes remote and in-person sessions. Ask how much time on site it expects.
The last window we track closed on 17 June 2026. Dates for the next cohort are not published yet.

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