Daegu Open Innovation AX PoC: what startup teams should check before August 7
Daegu startup PoC teams should read this carefully. This Daegu AX grant is useful for founders comparing Korea PoC funding options and preparing a lead company commitment. Daegu’s open innovation AX program is a focused Korean startup grant and a practical K-Startup program for companies that already have a practical collaboration path with a larger corporate or public-sector partner. The official K-Startup program notice is not a broad idea contest; it is designed for startups ready to run a proof of concept with a lead company.
Applications close on August 7, 2026 at 16:00 Korea time. The application route is the Daegu startup portal.
Eligibility in plain English
| Item | What applicants need to check |
|---|---|
| Applicant type | A startup with prior collaboration discussions completed with a lead company |
| Company age | Up to seven years old, or up to ten years for new-industry fields |
| Location | Headquartered in Daegu, or able to move headquarters to Daegu within two months after agreement |
| Selection scale | About two companies |
| Support | KRW 15 million PoC funding per company, consulting, networking, and follow-on support |
The partner commitment matters most
For an AI startup Korea team, the strongest fit is a company that can name the operational problem, the partner site, and the measurable result. The program requires a lead-company participation commitment, so the business plan should not read like a generic AI pitch. It should explain how the PoC will work in a real workflow, whether the technology is generative AI, data analytics, cloud automation, or security operations.
What the funding can realistically cover
The program offers KRW 15 million per selected company. That is helpful, but it is not enough for an unfocused enterprise transformation project. Treat the grant as a way to fund a tightly scoped proof: data access, integration work, field testing, and a result metric that can support follow-on sales or investment conversations.
Pre-application checklist
- Make sure the partner commitment letter matches the company name, contact person, and PoC topic in the business plan.
- If the company is not already based in Daegu, calculate the legal and operational impact of relocating headquarters within two months.
- Prepare tax certificates, financial statements, and employee-insurance documents early because they can slow down the application.
- Keep the PoC narrow enough to finish with KRW 15 million, and treat investment or follow-on projects as separate outcomes.
This K-Startup program is best for a startup that already has a potential customer or industrial partner and needs public support to turn that relationship into a measured pilot.
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