Press

KT&G will officially launch 'KT&G Imagination Startup Camp,' a youth entrepreneurship support project, starting from the 18th. 45 promising young entrepreneurs selected through a 10-to-1 competition rate will participate in a 14-week specialized startup education program at KT&G Imagination Ground Hongdae until early next year. The entire program is conducted free of charge as a corporate social responsibility initiative. To prepare, KT&G is conducting a preliminary orientation camp for the first cohort of students at KT&G Imagination Ground Chuncheon for two days starting from the 16th. The aspiring entrepreneurs will experience the full program in advance through startup methodology education, practical mock investment, and interactions with coaches. The main education beginning on the 18th consists of dedicated team coaching from former and current entrepreneurs, specialized mentoring by field, and provision of practical social innovation startup work systems. Outstanding teams will receive up to 30 million won in initial business funding per team, along with overseas benchmarking opportunities and office rental support. In particular, KT&G plans to focus support on the 'social venture' sector, which addresses social problems through business. A youth startup support project worth 3 billion won will be promoted through next year to address the national issue of youth unemployment. To this end, KT&G signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for 'KT&G Imagination Startup Camp' in September, attended by Lee Sang-hak, head of KT&G Sustainable Management Division, Kim Yong-deok, CEO of Social Solidarity Bank, and Kim Jeong-heon, CEO of Underdogs. A KT&G official stated, "We have prepared a differentiated startup support program to solve the national issue of youth unemployment," and added, "We will actively support addressing social problems through young people's creative ideas and help create youth employment opportunities."