Cheongdo Innovation Center Expands Support for Non-Profit Startups Addressing Local Issues

Meaningful steps are being taken to infuse new vitality into the Gyeongbuk Cheongdo community and lead sustainable change. Last April, the Cheongdo Innovation Center and Daum Foundation successfully conducted the '2025 Gyeongbuk-Cheongdo Non-profit Startup Incubation' program, actively supporting non-profit entrepreneurs at the forefront of solving local issues. This collaborative project, now in its third year, has been focusing on various issues experienced by local residents in the Gyeongbuk-Cheongdo region since 2023, such as care, employment, environment, and culture and arts, and has been discovering and nurturing non-profit entrepreneurs striving to solve them. In particular, it has received great acclaim by providing customized education and consulting optimized for local characteristics. Five teams dreaming of non-profit entrepreneurship in Gyeongbuk Cheongdo were carefully selected to participate in this program. They underwent workshops to deeply understand the core concepts of non-profit startups, grasp the essence of community issues, and design personas for actual beneficiaries. Furthermore, they laid the foundation for substantial growth through 1:1 customized consulting for business model concretization and organizational structure establishment. Next month, more in-depth organizational development consulting and the creation of practical guidelines for non-profit startup establishment are planned, ensuring continuous robust support for their successful first steps. Looking at the participating teams, one can glimpse deep insights into the realistic problems faced by the region and an innovative will to solve them. 'Nolneun Eommadeul' (Playing Moms) aims to build a co-parenting community, providing rich play-based educational opportunities for local children, thereby creating a happy environment for both children and parents. 'Again, Green' is spreading a zero-waste lifestyle and leading small actions for a sustainable environment. Furthermore, the 'Korean International Health and Safety Education Institute Cheongdo Branch' focuses on disaster safety, a critical challenge in an aging society, contributing to creating a safe and healthy community through programs that strengthen the disaster response capabilities of seniors. As such, each team is armed with original ideas and strong passion to solve the unique challenges of the region. Bang Dae-wook, CEO of Daum Foundation, emphasized, "Establishing a unique non-profit startup model that can solve difficult community issues like rural depopulation through collaboration with Cheongdo Innovation Center over the past three years is a very significant achievement." He presented his vision, stating, "We will continuously strive to build a solid foundation for nurturing and supporting non-profit startups not just in Seoul, but across various regions nationwide." Son Jung-ah, General Manager of Cheongdo Innovation Center, also emphasized the unique characteristics and potential of rural areas. She stated, "Rural areas are rich in public project opportunities to respond to the crisis of rural depopulation, where the activities of non-profit organizations can create even greater synergy," and "We will fully support the establishment of non-profit startups that improve residential conditions and enhance the quality of life in the region," thereby revealing a strong commitment to regional revitalization. Thus, with the conviction that non-profit startups will become the core driving force to take root in the community and lead sustainable change, the two organizations will continue their close collaboration.