IWF Korea mentors North Jeolla startups on global expansion
Participants in the "Local Startup Value-Up: Local to Global" program pose in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province, Saturday. Courtesy of IWF Korea
The International Women's Forum Korea (IWF Korea) held one-on-one mentoring sessions for local startups in North Jeolla Province on Saturday to help them evaluate their business strategies and prepare for overseas expansion.
IWF Korea said Tuesday that it hosted the "Local Startup Value-Up: Local to Global" mentoring program in Jeonju, North Jeolla Province.
The program was organized as part of the 2026 J-Startup Festa and held in conjunction with the 11th Startup Jeonbuk Entrepreneurship Expo in Jeonju's Hanok Village. It was jointly sponsored by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, North Jeolla Province and the city of Jeonju, with the Jeonbuk Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, the Jeonbuk Business Agency, investment firm Krypton and IWF Korea participating in its organization.
The initiative aimed to help local startups leverage regional assets and brands, strengthen their competitiveness as they grow and expand into overseas markets.
“Startups based in regional communities can pursue growth with global markets in mind from the very beginning," said Kim Ji-won, organizing committee chair of IWF Korea.
"I hope our members' expertise and experience in their respective fields will provide practical guidance for local startups in North Jeolla as they seek to expand overseas."
Participating companies were divided into two tracks based on their growth stages: scale-up assessment and global expansion readiness assessment. Each company received one-on-one consultations with mentors, who reviewed company materials in advance and assessed key business challenges, including business model development, brand and product competitiveness, sales channel expansion, investment readiness and overseas market entry.
The program concluded with a review of the assessment results and a discussion of areas for improvement at each company. Organizers plan to develop follow-up support measures based on the findings.
The 11 participating companies operate across a range of sectors, including food, beauty, childcare products, educational technology and upcycled design goods. Some are preparing to launch new products or expand into overseas markets.
“It was a valuable opportunity for local entrepreneurs to meet with current and former executives of global companies and experts from various fields,” said Oh Min-jung, team leader at Krypton.
“I hope the challenges identified during the mentoring sessions will lead to follow-up support and serve as a steppingstone for local startups seeking to expand into global markets.”