Start-up Planner (Accelerator) Registration Requirements — Capital of 100,000,000 Won, 2 Full-Time Professionals, Incubation Space and Application Documents

Procedure

1. 1. Confirm the applicant type and capital registration requirement

   Only corporations and non-profit corporations can register as start-up planners, so individuals cannot apply. A company under the Commercial Act needs capital of at least 100,000,000 won, non-profit corporations under the Civil Act and cooperatives, social cooperatives and SME cooperatives need at least 50,000,000 won of property contributed or invested in the incubation and investment business, and a dedicated agency under Article 52 of the Support for Small and Medium Enterprise Establishment Act needs at least 10,000,000 won. Non-profit corporations and cooperatives must keep separate accounts for the revenue and expenditure of this business.

2. 2. Secure 2 full-time professionals and evidence of their experience

   At least 2 full-time professionals are required, and full-time status is confirmed with proof of enrollment in the 4 major social insurances. Recognized profiles include a person with at least 3 years of early-stage start-up selection, investment or incubation work at a start-up planner, venture investment company, business incubation center or start-up dedicated agency, a holder of a master's degree in science, engineering, economics or business with at least 3 years of experience in the field, a professional individual investor, and a person with at least 3 years as a managing partner of an individual investment association. A person with at least 3 years of management or technology development work at a company who has completed a start-up planner professional training course recognized by the Minister of SMEs and Startups also qualifies.

3. 3. Prepare incubation space, business plan and conflict-of-interest rules

   The office used as incubation space may be owned or leased, or used under an agreement such as a shared office, and the agreement must state the user, scope of use, fee, hours of use and an agreement period of at least 1 year from the application date. The business plan covers selection, incubation and investment plans in line with Annex 1 of the Regulations on Registration and Management of Start-up Planners. Standards and procedures that officers and employees must follow to prevent conflicts of interest in investment and exit transactions are prepared at the same time.

4. 4. Submit the registration application and receive the certificate

   Submit the start-up planner registration application in Form 5 of the Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment with the articles of incorporation, business plan, officers' résumés, shareholder register, proof of paid-in capital and evidence of professionals and facilities. The Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development decides and notifies whether the requirements are met within 30 days from receipt, and may extend this once by up to 20 days for unavoidable reasons such as supplementing documents. Once the requirements are confirmed, the Minister of SMEs and Startups issues the start-up planner registration certificate in Form 6.

5. 5. Manage investment obligations and change registrations after registration

   A start-up planner must use at least 40 percent of its total investment for investment in early-stage start-ups by the date 5 years after registration, and must maintain that ratio afterwards. When the corporate name, location, representative and officers, paid-in capital, status of full-time professionals, business purposes in the articles of incorporation or, for companies, the shareholding of shareholders holding 5 percent or more change, a change registration must be filed within 14 days of the change. Selection criteria and procedures must be in place when selecting early-stage start-ups, and unfavourable transactions cannot be required as a condition of selection.

Required documents

• Start-up planner registration application (Form 5 of the Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment)
• Copy of the articles of incorporation
• Business plan (including the contents in Annex 1 of the Regulations on Registration and Management of Start-up Planners)
• Officers' résumés, and registered officers' consent to collection, use and provision of personal information and prior consent to joint use of administrative information (Forms 1 and 2 of the Regulations)
• Shareholder or investor register (companies and cooperatives) and certificate of non-profit corporation establishment permission (non-profit corporations)
• Proof of paid-in capital (bank balance certificate for companies; property list, certificate of contributed property, fund use commitment and bankbook copy for non-profit corporations and cooperatives)
• Status of full-time professionals and proof of their qualifications (career certificates, degree certificates, proof of 4 major social insurance enrollment, personal information consent)
• Documents on facilities held (certificate of ownership, copy of lease agreement or copy of incubation space use agreement)
• Letter of authorization (if filed by an agent)

Fees

Industry range: several hundred thousand won to around 1,000,000 won · Quoted after consultation depending on the applicant type (company, non-profit corporation or cooperative), the scope of organizing evidence of professionals' experience, and whether a new business plan and conflict-of-interest rules are drafted.

See fees and official charges for this service →

Legal basis and review date

• Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 2
• Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 24
• Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 25
• Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 26
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 13
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 14
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 15
• Enforcement Decree of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 48
• Enforcement Rule of the Act on the Promotion of Venture Investment, Article 11
• Support for Small and Medium Enterprise Establishment Act, Article 2
• Regulations on Registration and Management of Start-up Planners, Article 3
• Regulations on Registration and Management of Start-up Planners, Article 4
• Regulations on Registration and Management of Start-up Planners, Article 5

Checked against the statutes on 2026-10-13

Statutes and public notices change, so each case needs to be checked individually. Statute titles are given in English for reference. The Korean statutes are the authoritative text.

Check these first

• If a full-time professional leaves and the 2-person requirement is no longer met, or a change in professionals is not registered within 14 days, maintaining the registration requirements becomes a problem, so prepare a replacement and the change registration as soon as staffing changes.
• If the incubation space agreement period is shorter than 1 year from the application date or the scope or hours of use are missing, a request for supplementation may be issued during the facility requirement check.

Frequently asked questions