Fifteen companies, including GoPizza and Mathpresso, were selected as this year’s Promising Unicorns, overcoming an 8:1 competition. This year, we established a new global category for unicorn candidates, and many startups that can be active overseas were selected. AI startups stood out, but the number of platforms declined.
On June 27, the Small and Medium Enterprise Startup Department (MSS) announced the final selection of 15 companies eligible for special guarantee support. If selected as a unicorn candidate, they can receive a special guarantee of up to 20 billion won (approximately US$15 million) from the Technology Guarantee Fund and advisory services for special technology listings.
A total of 120 companies applied for the program, with a competition rate of 8:1. A total of 111 unicorn candidates were selected from 2019 to this year. Seven of them have grown into unicorn companies with a corporate value of over 1 trillion won. Starting this year, we have established a new global department to nurture global unicorn companies. In addition to the special guarantee, we plan to support entry into the global market through global IR events. Promising unicorn companies selected through a general selection process will receive appropriate support even if they plan to expand globally in the future.
The average sales of companies selected as unicorn candidates this year were 26.7 billion won. The total number of employees is 162. The total amount of investment attracted was 42.9 billion won, and the enterprise value was 219.9 billion won. By industry, 7 companies (46.6%) were in the software sector, followed by 4 companies in the manufacturing sector, 3 companies in the platform sector, and 1 company in the content sector.
Notably, five startups this year have AI-related core technologies, in contrast to last year, when half of the 20 unicorn candidates were in the platform space. The AI company is GoPizza. GoPizza is a one-person pizza franchise with AI-based cooking process automation technology. Mathpresso, a mathematics tutoring service platform that utilizes AI technology. Airs Medical, his AI-based MRI fast image reconstruction solution. I Hate Flying Bugs, an AI technology-based learning system. Okestro is an intelligent AI cloud integrated management platform.
Another promising unicorn is Blue M Tech, an e-commerce platform for specialty pharmaceuticals. Vive Studios produces movies, videos and broadcast shows. Sir.Loin is a beef processing technology and B2B and B2C distribution platform. SmartScore, a golf course solution. Autocrypt, automotive security and mobility solutions. Jarvis & Villains, General Income Tax Refund Calculation and Filing Automation Service. JL Chem, an OLED deposition material developer. Coma Technology, a developer of silicon electrodes and silicon rings. Torder, a tablet-based ordering platform. Pro-Green Tech manufactures thermochromic dyes, pharmaceutical ingredients and cosmetic additives.
