Endless Imagination of Youth Connects to Startups… 2025 Startup Express Summer Season Successfully Concludes 

Korea University Business School successfully hosted the 2025 Startup Express Summer Season startup competition on Friday, May 30, at SUPEX Hall in the LG-POSCO Hall. Organized by the Startup Station under the business school,, the event was designed to support aspiring entrepreneurs in developing and growing their startup ideas. 

Held every summer and fall, Startup Express is one of Korea University’s flagship student startup competitions.  Participants are offered opportunities to join the Startup Station for a minimum of 6 months up to 1 year, along with startup education programs. This year, eligibility was expanded beyond current undergraduates and graduate students (including those on leave) and alumni within five years of graduation to also include students from other majors, minors, and universities outside the Seoul metropolitan area—creating a broader, national startup networking platform. 

Preliminary applications were accepted from April 14 (Mon) to May 7 (Wed). The face-to-face interviews were held on May 20 (Tue), followed by the final round and awards ceremony on May 30 (Fri). Twelve teams that passed the preliminary round advanced to the finals, where they presented creative and highly feasible startup ideas. Each team had five minutes for their presentation and five minutes for a Q&A session with the judges. 

This year’s presented startup ideas included: 

• Thermit: An AI-based product detail page creation service 
• Nobel Ideas: A global web novel platform powered by fan translations 
• Gaon: A deep learning-based sound control instrument 
• Tarte: An AI-based fractional investment platform 
• During: A premium self-care brand for menopausal women 
• CEEDERS: A greenhouse gas reduction MRV procedure system 
• ANYWAY: A data analytics platform for solo content creators 
• Haneulcheon: An automated electronic disclosure platform 
• Franchat: A random chat service for acquaintances 
• LectureMate AI: An AI-powered lecture automation platform 
• Socially: A regional social engagement platform 
• Mindful Labs: An AI-based solution for mental health challenges 

The judging panel consisted of 10 experts from various fields, including Hwang Joon-ho (Director of the Startup Station), Park Jin-gyu (Director of Seung Myung-ho Education Center), Kim Young-kyung (Director of Iljin Startup Support Center), and representatives from Dongwha Enterprise, The Korea Times, Iljin Global, Sopoong Connect, Talink, and Kingsbay Capital. 

A total of KRW 10 million in startup support funding was awarded to the winning teams. 

• The Seung Myung-ho Entrepreneurship Award went to 'Mindful Labs'
• The Iljin Startup Award went to 'Tarte' 
• The Choo-Choo Entrepreneurship Award, determined by audience vote, went to 'Thermit' 
• The KUBS Class of ’79 Award was given to 'Thermit', 'LectureMate AI', and 'Socially' 

All award-winning teams will receive Startup Station residency opportunities, expert mentoring, and entrepreneurship education programs. 

During the opening ceremony, Professor Nam Dae-il, founding director of the Startup Station and Associate Dean of the Business School, said, “I’m proud to see this event continue its stable growth over the past nine years. I hope more students will create successful career stories through entrepreneurship.” Following this, Director Joon Ho Hwang presented a plaque of appreciation to Lee Sang-hyun, Chair of the KUBS Class of ’79 Alumni Association, which sponsored the event. Lee expressed, “I’m proud to see Korea University fostering such a vibrant startup ecosystem and hope to see a unicorn company emerge from our alma mater.”

In his closing remarks, Director Hwang added, “The quality of student startup ideas continues to impress me every year. Defining and solving problems that don’t have a fixed answer is the essence of entrepreneurship, and the fact that you’re at the starting line is meaningful in itself.” 

The Startup Station also announced plans to offer additional residency opportunities to non-award-winning teams. All selected teams will receive two months of foundational entrepreneurship education from July, covering areas such as team building, market validation, intellectual property, law, finance, taxation, and mental health.