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Integrated Announcement for the “2026 Bunicorn Nurturing and Support Program” to Help Busan Become a Global Startup City

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Busan Metropolitan City (Mayor Park Heong-joon) and the Busan Startup Investment Agency (President Seo Jong-gun) announced that they will open an integrated call for applications for companies to participate in the “2026 Bunicorn Nurturing and Support Program” to discover outstanding technology-based startups in the region and foster them into “Bunicorns.”

Bunicorn: A compound of Busan and Unicorn, referring to a Busan Metropolitan City brand newly introduced to strategically support the growth of selected high-growth technology startups with proven growth potential into unicorn companies.

This year, Busan Metropolitan City has set “startup growth” as the top priority of its startup support policy. Centered on the Busan Startup Investment Agency, the City will unify the startup support system and establish a structured support framework aligned with each company’s growth cycle—from the preparation stage through the scaling stage—thereby strengthening comprehensive and continuous support.

Through a stage-based support system that progresses from SEED to BUILD to BOOST to BUNICORN, the City plans to build a Busan-style, growth-centered startup support model that covers the entire lifecycle, from discovery and growth to scale-up.

In addition, the City will recruit venture and startup companies that will lead environmental, social, and governance (ESG) management. It will also recruit startup teams of enrolled (or on-leave) university and graduate students in Busan, Ulsan, and Gyeongnam together with the Pusan National University RISE Project Group to support student entrepreneurship and build a virtuous startup ecosystem.

Selected companies will receive multifaceted benefits that go beyond simple funding support, including investment capacity-building programs and network linkages to help drive tangible growth. In particular, the City aims to intensively foster high-potential, high-growth companies and help them grow into Busan’s representative Bunicorns, bringing new vitality to the regional economy.

Prospective founders and companies wishing to participate may apply online through the Busan Startup Portal (https://busanstartup.kr) from February 9 to February 27, 2026. More details are available in the announcement posted on the Busan Startup Portal.

A briefing session will also be held to enhance understanding of the programs. The session will take place at 1:30 p.m. on February 10 at the Busan Eurasia Platform, where attendees can receive detailed guidance on application procedures and implementation schedules for each program.

Mayor Park Heong-joon said, “The ‘2026 Bunicorn Nurturing and Support Program’ will be a turning point focused on startup growth and the creation of tangible outcomes,” adding, “We will continue to 추진 practical, field-oriented startup support policies so that startups can grow, attract investment, and leap forward in Busan.”