100 Promising SMEs Selected for Global Scale-up

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) has finally selected the first 100 companies to be supported by the 'Jump-Up Program', designed to accelerate the growth of SMEs. This program is a comprehensive scale-up support project designed to help SMEs pioneer new businesses and markets and leap into mid-sized enterprises. These companies, selected through a rigorous two-stage evaluation process spanning approximately three months from a total of 620 applicant companies, were recognized for their excellent growth potential and innovation. The selected companies recorded significantly higher average sales and asset growth rates, as well as operating profit margins, compared to general SMEs, proving their financial soundness and growth potential. Notably, 97% possess patents and boast unique technological capabilities, including investing 3.4 times more in R&D. Furthermore, 83% engage in active export activities, 41% have attracted private investment, and 10% have succeeded in listing on KOSDAQ, demonstrating outstanding domestic and international market competitiveness. A medical device company with the world's No. 1 market share, a food processing company that innovated a declining industry, and an AI sign language translation IT company that won a CES Innovation Award are representative examples. These companies were recognized for their technology, market scalability, and growth potential in their respective fields. The 100 selected companies will receive comprehensive and systematic support for the next three years. Customized mentoring, including expert management consulting, scale-up strategy formulation, and technology roadmap directing, will be provided, and an open voucher worth up to 750 million KRW will be given to each company. In addition to networking and capacity-building programs for overseas expansion and investment attraction, the program will also link with various government policies such as loans, R&D, and policy funds, to comprehensively support the companies' successful leap forward.