-commencing in 2017, achieved sales of 80.4 billion won and successfully attracted investments amounting to 111.2 billion won over the past three years”
– Investment and support in deep tech sectors are key issues, with ‘Bio Healthcare’ accounting for 33% of all deep tech
– Supporting customized programs such as global open innovation partnering and clinical consulting
– Capable of providing full-cycle commercialization support in the biohealth sector and having a resource pool to facilitate connections with the clinical field
– Expansion into international markets of support for companies focused on cutting-edge medical technology, digital healthcare, and AI-based solutions
“The K-BIC fosters a mutually beneficial cooperation ecosystem for the biohealth industry and strengthens its competitive advantage through initiatives like open laboratories and K-Bio Regional/Strategic Centers. We also contribute to the close management of startup companies and the expansion of networks via startup incubation, expert counseling, in-depth mentoring, practical skills training, technology briefings for investment attraction, and venture cafes. Furthermore, we support a technology commercialization platform for developing excellent biohealth technologies and linking them to clinical settings. This goal is achieved by offering help with patent strategies and getting necessary authorization and permission, assessing technology (its value and quality), and improving support for healthcare technology licensing offices (TLOs), which helps early-stage and scale-up companies become more stable.”
What is your assessment of the accomplishments of the Startup Scale-Up Package support program thus far?
“The KHIDI has been selected as the supervising agency for the Startup Scale-up Package program for nine consecutive years since 2017. We have provided specialized startup support infrastructure for the health industry, offering close assistance to help scale-up companies in the health sector overcome the Valley of Death. By 2025, KOSDAQ had listed a total of 13 beneficiary companies. The center has achieved notable success through the Startup Scale-up Package support program, as evidenced by the following key results: Over the past three years (2022–2024), the program has supported 97 startups, including discontinued companies. During this period, the program has achieved sales totaling 80.4 billion won, attracted investments totaling 111.2 billion won, and contributed to the creation of 587 new jobs.”
What is the most significant issue with the projects being carried out by the K-BIC this year?
“Investment and support for the deep tech sector can be considered the core issue. Among the top 10 deep tech fields, ‘bio healthcare’ accounts for 33% of the entire deep tech sector. Our center also provides customized programs for fostering and supporting deep tech companies, including commercialization funding, global open innovation partnering, and clinical consulting. As the biohealth industry continues to grow as a core domestic sector by integrating with innovative technologies like AI, big data, and digital therapeutics, we will strive harder for the sustainable growth and global market entry of related companies.”
“We can confidently state that the center’s strengths lie in its ability to provide full-cycle commercialization support in the biohealth field and its possession of a resource pool enabling connections with the clinical field. Accessing clinical experts can be challenging, but our programs provide clinical consulting and full-cycle commercialization support. This includes startup incubation, space provision, mentoring, and investment attraction support. Our support is available to diverse companies, from early-stage companies to those preparing for IPO.”
Please describe the offers available to companies selected for the Startup Scale-Up Package support program.
“As of 2025, companies selected for the Startup Scale-up Package support program receive an average of 130 million won (up to 300 million won) in project funding. They can use this funding to support the innovation of business models and the advancement of products/services. Beyond the funding, companies can participate in programs run by the initiative’s supervising agency. In 2025, the package support program includes various free programs, such as leading to follow-on investment, global market expansion, joint programs with large enterprises, technology development, business model development, proof-of-concept (PoC) support, media promotion, and networking, all of which are designed to support the growth of startup companies.”
Could you provide an overview of the key startup fostering programs offered by the K-BIC?
“Our center provides comprehensive, full-cycle support for health industry startups, catering to their growth stages from finding to commercialization. I believe the center’s technology commercialization platform serves as its flagship program. The program provides business incubator (BI) services through Innovation Startup Members, educational resources via Biohealth Learn to support company growth, mentoring and consulting services, assistance for scale-up companies with technology evaluation, investment attraction, connections to clinical sites, and utilization of underutilized patents. Additionally, it offers help with market expansion through Healthcare New Technology Certification, support for entering international markets from the K-Biohealth Strategy Center, and infrastructure connection that includes open labs and K-Biohealth Regional Centers.”
What programs are available to help companies expand globally?
“I am pleased to present the Global Scale-up Program, which is divided into three themes. We provide support for ‘participation in overseas exhibitions’ to help promising startups with innovative technologies establish a foundation for growing into global companies. Furthermore, for companies with a solid base of overseas operations, we assess the product-market fit (PMF) for their target countries. To enhance overseas expansion capabilities and increase the potential for attracting global investment, we support participation in ‘Global Demo Days’ and the development of IR materials.”
“The K-BIC offers ‘Investment Attraction Support Linked to Professional Investment Institutions’ to assist with investment attraction. This program facilitates connections between startups and professional investment institutions, providing systematic consulting across four key areas: education and consulting, networking, investment support, and business linkage. We also host pitching events that attract investment in technology. We provide investment round opportunities through open (K-BIC STAR DAY) and closed (K-BIC ROUND) formats for startups (seed to Series B) that possess outstanding technologies in the biohealth industry.
Through our operation of BIO KOREA, we strive to expand the market by supporting participation in both domestic and international exhibitions. Additionally, we assist startups in attending pivotal events such as BIO JAPAN and BIO EUROPE on an international scale.”
Please describe the future goals of the K-BIC.
“The K-BIC’s objective is to establish itself as a global hub for the health industry sector. To achieve this objective, we aim to support domestic biohealth companies in developing the capabilities necessary to compete in the global market. The KHIDI and the K-BIC will serve as a hub to connect these companies. Through this, we aim to support companies focused on cutting-edge medical technology, digital healthcare, and AI-based solutions in expanding overseas.
Furthermore, we seek to develop strategies to lead future technologies. We strive to discover and foster companies centered on promising technologies such as AI, big data, digital treatment devices, and healthcare platforms. Accordingly, we intend to establish a sustainable startup ecosystem through a step-by-step support system connecting the early-stage startup to scaling up and global expansion, while strengthening post-support, mentoring, and rechallenge assistance. With these goals, the K-BIC aims to play a pivotal role in driving innovation in the biohealth industry and building a sustainable startup ecosystem, not just support.”
Full title page (an introductory explanation of the overall content found at the beginning of the magazine)
Korea Health Industry Development Institute 2025 Startup Scale-Up Package Selected Company
The Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KHIDI) is a public institution founded in 1999 with the objective of enhancing the global competitive advantage of the biohealth industry and contributing to improving public health. The foundation of its work is rooted in expertise, a spirit of challenge, effective communication, and trust. The KHIDI systematically and professionally carries out various support projects for the growth of the biohealth industry and the improvement of healthcare services. To foster an innovative startup ecosystem for the biohealth industry, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) and the KHIDI jointly opened the ‘Korea Biohealth Innovation & Start-up Center (K-BIC)’ in Seoul in March 2018 and operate it. The KHIDI has been selected as the supervising agency for the Startup Scale-up Package program for nine consecutive years since 2017. The KHIDI has provided specialized startup support infrastructure for the health industry, offering close assistance to help scale-up companies in the health sector overcome the Valley of Death.
The Startup Scale-up Package program is a flagship program of the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, providing up to 300 million won in commercialization support funds and specialized startup programs to scale up scale-up startups aged 3–7 years. Through specialized programs by each supervising agency, it supports startups with management diagnosis and improvement, consumer requirements and market environment analysis, and investment diagnosis and strategy development.
This special feature presents the startup stories of 34 companies participating in the Startup Scale-up Package program operated by the K-BIC of the KHIDI. It captures the diverse startup journeys of companies attracting market attention with innovative ideas.
reporter jinho lee
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