Mark & Company, an accelerator operating the startup growth analysis platform ‘Forest of Innovation,’ has started recruiting participants for the ‘2026 Samsung Financial C-Lab Outside’ financial innovation startup discovery program in partnership with Samsung Securities.
‘Samsung Financial C-Lab Outside’ is a program marking its seventh year this year, jointly operated by Samsung Financial Networks and Samsung Venture Investment. To date, approximately 2,000 startups have applied, and collaborations have been conducted with a total of 81 companies. Samsung Securities has jointly carried out Proof of Concept (PoC) projects with 19 selected startups so far, and more than half have led to follow-up collaborations.
Representative success stories include the 2025 Best Company ‘Pilsang’ (AI phishing detection solution), the 2024 Best Company ‘2Digit’ (AI-based earnings disclosure analysis), and the 2023 Best Company ‘MetaLogos’ (IPO investment information service), all of which were commercialized in conjunction with the Samsung Securities app.
This program is designed to enable practical, hands-on collaboration between business departments and startups. Through its proprietary startup analysis solution, Mark & Company precisely matches the needs of supported companies with those of their respective business units, providing an environment where startups can focus on validation and generating results.
The recruitment fields for ‘2026 Samsung Financial C-Lab Outside’ include four areas: investment information, AI, business efficiency, and innovative financial services based on fintech support projects. Selected companies will receive up to 40 million won in PoC funding, a top prize of 10 million won, and support for exhibiting at CES. Additionally, they will be provided with professional mentoring, promotional support for the ‘Forest of Innovation’ platform, and opportunities for follow-up business cooperation and equity investment review with Samsung financial companies.
Hong Kyung-pyo, CEO of Mark & Company, said, “We will continue to collaborate with Samsung Securities to expand successful commercialization cases that combine startups’ data and AI capabilities with financial institutions’ infrastructure.”
Applications for participation can be submitted online through the official website until midnight on April 5.
This program provides opportunities for the commercialization of innovative services through the discovery and demonstration of financial startups, contributing to the revitalization of the domestic fintech ecosystem.
Domestic financial startup support programs are expanding with a focus on PoCs and mentoring, thereby revitalizing the development of demonstration-based innovative financial services.
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