Incheon Center for Creative Economy and Innovation Nurtures Six '2025 Baby Unicorns'

인천창조경제혁신센터, 2025년 아기유니콘 육성사업에 6개 보육기업 쾌거! **Incheon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (hereinafter referred to as Incheon CCEI) has achieved a remarkable feat, successfully getting 6 of its incubated companies finally selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' '2025 Baby Unicorn Nurturing Project,' thereby demonstrating its exceptional incubation capabilities.** This achievement, announced on the 29th, underscores Incheon CCEI's pivotal role in discovering promising startups nationwide, extending beyond its region, and nurturing them into globally competitive enterprises. **Brilliant Selection Amidst Fierce Competition Proves Incheon CCEI's Strength** The 'Baby Unicorn Nurturing Project' is the first stage of the 'Global Unicorn Project,' which supports innovative startups with the potential to grow into future unicorn companies. This year, a total of 217 companies applied, resulting in a high competition rate of 4.3 to 1, with only 50 companies earning the honor of final selection. Incheon CCEI successfully navigated this fierce competition, elevating 6 of its incubated companies—Softsquared, Soldoc, Korea Spatial Data, Roots Lab, AbleLabs, and Gadget Korea—to Baby Unicorn status, thereby reaffirming its capabilities. The 6 selected companies demonstrated an average corporate value of 32.1 billion won, attracted investments of approximately 5.61 billion won, generated annual revenue of about 4.4 billion won, and employed around 30 people, earning recognition for both their technological prowess and market potential. This goes beyond mere financial performance; it is an assessment that these companies are poised for sustained growth, driven by innovative ideas and strong execution. **Unprecedented Support, Paving the Way for a Leap Towards Global Unicorn Status** Companies selected as Baby Unicorns will receive a variety of growth support programs, including ▲market pioneering funds (up to 300 million won), ▲a special guarantee from the Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KODIT) (up to 5 billion won), ▲participation in global investor relations (IR) sessions, and ▲overseas market entry consulting. Notably, the 'Performance-Linked Guarantee System,' newly introduced this year, allows companies that achieve follow-up investment or sales performance to receive additional guarantees without separate review, thereby adding flexibility and efficiency to fundraising for corporate scale-up. This customized support is expected to alleviate the growing pains companies may face and serve as a strong stepping stone for successful entry into the global market. **Incheon CCEI Strengthens its Role as a Steadfast Partner in Startup Growth** Lee Han-sub, CEO of Incheon CCEI, expressed his pride regarding this achievement, stating, "It is a testament to Incheon CCEI's incubation capabilities being proven once again." He further stated, "We will continue to strengthen public-private cooperation and investment linkages to enable promising startups to become competitive on the global stage." To realize these promises, Incheon CCEI is actively leveraging the 1 trillion won 'Incheon Big Wave Fund,' established in collaboration with Incheon Metropolitan City. Centered around its investment attraction platform 'Big Wave,' it operates innovative programs such as global IR and private investment linkages, discovering and fostering promising startups from across the nation. As a result, 94 companies have been selected to date, achieving significant results, including attracting approximately 150 billion won in investments. **Innovative Vision and Technology of the 6 Baby Unicorn Companies** The 6 companies newly selected as Baby Unicorns demonstrate unique technological capabilities and growth potential in their respective fields. * **Softsquared** offers an automation platform that allows non-developers to easily develop software, accelerating digital transformation and increasing its potential for global market expansion. * **Soldoc** is innovating user convenience by digitizing the entire medical service process, from consultation and prescription to medicine pickup and payment, through its healthcare platform that integrates both remote and in-person care, linked with over 20,000 domestic medical institutions. * **Korea Spatial Data** is laying the foundation for future cities by participating in various public and private projects, including smart cities, national infrastructure, and traffic information, based on its high-precision spatial information analysis technology. * **Roots Lab** is at the forefront of solving environmental problems, contributing to carbon neutrality and the establishment of a resource-circulating economy with its innovative technology that produces eco-friendly fuel by pyrolyzing waste plastics. * **AbleLabs** is leading industrial innovation by maximizing warehouse operational efficiency and creating a smart logistics environment through its AI-based logistics automation solution. * **Gadget Korea** operates 'Usimsa,' an eSIM-based data roaming platform, aiming to exceed 3 million cumulative users by 2025. Its technological prowess was recognized in the global telecommunications market through its membership with GSMA in 2024. As such, Incheon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation stands at the forefront of South Korea's innovative growth, providing comprehensive support throughout the entire cycle, from the discovery of promising startups to their systematic nurturing and successful entry into global markets. The selection of these 6 Baby Unicorn companies is the fruit of these efforts and will serve as a strong preview of the birth of future unicorn companies.