2026 K-Scouter Acceleration Program - South Korea

The K-Scouter 2026 is an acceleration program in South Korea for innovative international startups backed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

This program is operated by The Innovators, a Korea-based accelerator supporting innovative startups entering and growing in the Korean market.

​The aim of this program is to identify and support innovative international startups seeking to:

• Access grants and investment opportunities in Korea.
•  Build strategic partnerships and expand into the Korean market.
•  Leverage Korea's world-class innovation infrastructure.
• Use Korea as a gateway to broader Asian markets.
• Validate product-market fit and conduct Proof of Concepts (PoCs).
• Engage with Korean customers and explore commercial opportunities

Eligibility:

• Internationally Based company with no existing presence in Korea.
• The company must not be older than 7 years (or 10 years if in Deep Tech).
• The company must be led by a non-Korean founder or CEO
• The company must be in innovative industries such as, AI, B2B SaaS, Deep Tech, Healthcare, Robotics, Manufacturing, ESG, etc.
• Extra evaluation points for B2B or B2B2B companies.
• The company must demonstrate a clear interest in the Korean Market.

8 selected startups will join a 5-month hybrid program.

• Online: August - November
• Offline: December

Market Access & Business Development

•  Investor and ecosystem connections.
• Business matching with Korean companies and potential customers.
•  Strategic partner introductions.
• Product-market fit validation and PoC support​
  

Korea Expansion Support

• Market-entry planning and localization support.
•  Customer discovery and commercial opportunity exploration.
• Access to Korea's innovation ecosystem and business infrastructures.
• Expansion planning to Korea and through Korea as a gateway to Asia.

Landing & Establishment Support

• Ministry-issued recommendation letter.
  
•  Special Startup-Visa issuance.
• Company establishment support.
•  Administrative & legal business support.

Travel & Ecosystem Access

•  Round-trip airfare support to Korea.
• Participation in the Korea on-ground program.
• Access to startup events, networking opportunities, and ecosystem activities.
• Participation in COMEUP, Korea's leading startup festival.