Front doors that are open to foreigners

• K-Startup Grand Challenge (ksgc.global), run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
  • The only programme here built for non-Korean founders. Every CEO must be non-Korean, and the whole programme runs in English.
  • It is sector-agnostic, but functional foods, biotech, smart manufacturing and robotics count as "emerging" sectors, so companies up to 10 years old can apply.
  • 2026 benefits: ₩8M in participation grants per team, a ₩380M prize pool, visa recommendations (D-10-2, then the two-year D-8-4 startup visa) and office space near Pangyo.
  • 2025 drew 2,626 applicants from 97 countries for 40 places.
  • Applications for the 2027 cohort will likely open around May to June 2027 (to be confirmed).
  • Don't use the old k-startupgc.org domain. It now hosts unrelated content.
• Baemin Startup Square (startup.baemin.com), Woowa Brothers' rent-free campus in Pangyo.
  • About 60 resident startups.
  • The 2026 call was open to "domestic and overseas" founders and named food-tech and delivery robots.
  • The catch: you need a Korean business registration and a recommendation from a partner organisation.
  • It hosted the 2026 Grand Challenge cohort in September, so that route works.
• Startup Korea Special Visa. Launched in November 2024 as a lighter alternative to the D-8-4 startup visa. Since September 2025, accelerators and local governments can recommend applicants.
• Invest Korea (investkorea.org), part of KOTRA, the trade promotion agency. A one-stop desk for incorporation and foreign direct investment.
• Plug and Play, the Silicon Valley accelerator and corporate-innovation platform. It opened a Korea office in Seoul in 2021 and a branch in Daegu in 2023. Its Korea programmes lean towards mobility, robotics and AI, including the Plug and Play Korea Expo held with the FIX trade fair in Daegu since 2024. For food founders, the more direct route is its global Food & Beverage platform, which pairs startups with corporates such as Nestlé, Ocean Spray and SIG. In 2026 it also runs a government-funded Silicon Valley accelerating track for Korean deep-tech startups.

Corporate open-innovation programmes

These run in Korean. Plan on a local partner or a Korean entity.

• CJ CheilJedang Frontier Labs (frontierlabs.kr)
  • Annual call. The 6th cohort drew about 260 applicants for 4 places (announced August 2026).
  • Up to ₩300M initial investment, then a six-month PoC with a CJ business unit, which now includes CJ's global businesses.
  • The 7th cohort recruits in 2027; past calls opened in April.
  • The site has a "coffee chat" form for meeting CJ Investment.
• Lotte Ventures (lotteventures.com): the L-CAMP accelerator and its food-tech track, Future Diet (미래식단).
  • Future Diet is run with KOAT, the government agri-tech agency, and is for companies under seven years old.
  • Lotte's R&D centre is in Magok, near Gimpo Airport.
  • Lotte Ventures also has offices in Japan and the US.
  • Contact: [email protected].
• Samsung Welstory W.I.T., Samsung's catering arm.
  • Annual call in February to March. Fields: kitchen robotics, healthcare, smart manufacturing, agri and blue tech, ESG.
  • Up to ₩40M of PoC funding.
• Pulmuone SustainHUB. Run with the Seoul Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (CCEI), a government-backed startup hub. Spring call.
• GS Retail "Future Retail" (GS25 convenience stores). Run with Seoul CCEI; summer call. The 2026 cohort was all AI.
• BGF Retail (CU), through Seoul Startup Hub.
• Hanwha Food Tech. Food robotics; it owns US robot-pizza brand Stellar Pizza, and its parent group bought caterer Ourhome in 2025.

No active startup programme found: Nongshim, Ottogi, Orion and Daesang. Reach them through business development or at trade shows.

Investors and accelerators active in Korean agrifood

The entries below cover public deal history and relevant acceleration programmes; they are not investment advice.

The list draws on 2024 to 2026 research. Historical investments indicate relevant experience; confirm current sector, stage and geographic mandates before requesting a meeting.