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This startup support forum was organized to discuss the roles of accelerators and investment institutions, efficient support measures for companies at different growth stages, and to share Korea's accelerator investment environment and actual investment cases. The event kicked off with presentations from two startups. First, Han Jae-soo, Director of Sportsmatix (CEO Jung Hoe-deok), stated, "The importance of networking is growing. We received various benefits through networking, and our company grew with the accelerating program," and continued, "We started our business by participating in Underdogs' 14-week social innovation startup course, and through Underdogs' recommendation, we participated in Seoul Startup Foundation's accelerating program STATION:D, and through Seoul Startup Foundation's introduction, we joined Y&ARCHER's accelerating program, which greatly helped our company growth." This drew attention from the audience. Next, Kim Jung-mo, CEO of Farmcat, shared his experience of working as an IT engineer for 15 years, retiring, and then participating in an accelerating program with only an initial idea to start a business. He said, "When finding an accelerator partner that suits your personality while doing business, you should choose carefully," and added, "You should consider what business connections exist and whether there is financial management capability." In the subsequent panel discussion, Lee Seon-ho, Director of Seoul Startup Foundation, served as moderator, and Lee Tae-hoon, Director of SBA Accelerating Center, Um Jung-han, CEO of CompanyB, and Lee Jung-hoon, CEO of Kingsley Ventures, discussed the roles of investment institutions and efficient support measures for startups at different stages. In response to the question, "How does the SBA Accelerating Center operate?", Lee Tae-hoon, Director of SBA Accelerating Center, explained, "The SBA Accelerating Center does nothing other than select good companies and connect them with investment syndicates to receive investment. There are about 600 companies recommended by 149 VCs and accelerator institutions, from which we selected truly excellent companies, and over 70% of follow-up investment connections are being made after selection," which drew the audience's interest. Regarding the question, "Is an accelerator absolutely necessary in business? And how does CompanyB invest?", Um Jung-han, CEO of CompanyB, said, "Accelerating is not essential. If you have a perfect team and idea, you can just push forward." He continued, "CompanyB doesn't have a batch system but holds a homebrew party on the last Monday of each month where 7 startup teams present for 5 minutes, and the content of presentations is delivered to investors, and when there are good companies, we invite them through CompanyB's office hours to have conversations, and investment decisions are made quickly." In response to the question, "How does Kingsley Ventures invest?", Lee Jung-hoon, CEO of Kingsley Ventures, answered, "Kingsley Ventures is an accelerator established in September 2016, led by Kingsley Capital Partners, a British venture capital company. We invest from as little as 50 million won to tens of billions of won," and added, "We don't operate separate batch programs, and when we discover good companies, we focus on continuing 1:1 meetings and providing assistance as collaborators in moving forward together." At the end of the event, Lee Seon-ho, Director, said, "We are discussing with various related institutions on diverse topics including universities, global, biotech, women entrepreneurs, fintech, and accelerators on how to provide efficient startup support to entrepreneurs, so we ask for continued interest in the future." Meanwhile, the 7th Seoul Northeast Startup Support Forum will be held on November 22 (Thursday) with the theme of "College Student Startup Clubs." Related information can be found on the Seoul Startup Foundation's website. ♦ Original article: http://news.heraldcorp.com/view.php?ud=20181116000407