Fifteen South Korean startups were officially selected as the 2025 Pre-Unicorns, each eligible for up to KRW 20 billion in special guarantees to accelerate global scaling. The program recorded a 5.3:1 competition ratio among 79 applicants, and the cohort shows strong fundamentals with average revenue of KRW 23.3 billion, 74 employees, 35.2 billion won in cumulative funding, and an average valuation of KRW 113.4 billion, reflecting concentrated strength in AI, bio/health, fintech, logistics, and advanced materials.
The Pre-Unicorn guarantee program is a scale-up mechanism that unlocks bank financing and catalyzes follow-on investment, and has supported 126 companies with KRW 797.2 billion in guarantees from 2019–2024, contributing to multiple unicorns and IPOs.
<The 15 Startups>
LINER =AI engine, deep research service
Seobuk =unmanned automatic photo kiosk systems
Solivis =sulfide-based solid electrolyte for all-solid-state batteries
XPANNER =automation solutions for construction heavy equipment operations
Astrogen =therapeutics for neurological disorders
AGL =golf course reservation and management platform
HTC =heat dissipation plates and high-pressure containers manufacturing
Eleven Corporation =functional cosmetics
Illimis Therapeutics =fusion-protein therapeutics
KineScience =immune-modulating therapies
Colosseum Corporation = e-commerce logistics management
Travel Wallet =multi-currency wallet and cross-border remittance platform
Team Sparta =AI-driven coding education platform
Persona AI =AICC platform and edge AI solutions
Plan M = modular construction buildings
This year’s selected companies collectively reflect rigorous evaluation on innovation, growth, financing, and credit, with guarantees designed to scale operations and overseas expansion efficiently. Historical outcomes show sales growth of 174% and employment growth of 44.7% post-selection among prior cohorts, with 90 firms attracting KRW 5.2 trillion in follow-on funding, underscoring the program’s impact as a national scale-up lever.
