Startup Support Foundation Receives Minister of Education Commendation as One of the “2026 Outstanding Universities for N
- 작성처
- Date2026.10.07
- 235
Ewha Womans University’s Startup Support Foundation, headed by Kim SangJun, was selected as one of the 2026 Outstanding Universities for Entrepreneurship Education and received a commendation from the Minister of Education at the 2026 Industry-Academia-Research Cooperation EXPO held on Wednesday, September 30.
The award recognizes the university’s efforts to strengthen its entrepreneurship education system through the Startup Support Foundation and establish entrepreneurship-friendly academic and personnel policies, along with infrastructure supporting every stage of the startup process. Ewha received particular recognition for fostering an entrepreneurship ecosystem tailored to women and significantly expanding its global startup network.
The award recognizes the university’s efforts to strengthen its entrepreneurship education system through the Startup Support Foundation and establish entrepreneurship-friendly academic and personnel policies, along with infrastructure supporting every stage of the startup process. Ewha received particular recognition for fostering an entrepreneurship ecosystem tailored to women and significantly expanding its global startup network.
These extensive support measures have led to tangible growth and achievements among startup companies. Investment raised by faculty-founded startups increased approximately fourfold, from around KRW 9 billion in 2020 to around KRW 36 billion in 2024. Over the past four years, 21 companies have been selected for the government’s TIPS program. UniUni Co., Ltd., a student-founded company, received a CES Innovation Award for two consecutive years in 2025 and 2026, while Shufab Co., Ltd., a faculty-founded company, also received a 2025 CES Innovation Award, earning international recognition for its technological excellence.
Global Student Startup Competition (GSSC), hosted by Ewha Womans University
Ewha has also made notable contributions to fostering a global entrepreneurship ecosystem for women. The Global Student Startup Competition (GSSC), hosted by the university, has successfully established a global startup network, bringing together 13 universities from six countries, including Harvard University, the University of California, Berkeley, Cornell University, and the University of Oxford. At this year’s competition, Team AIM, led by Kim YuJin of the Department of Educational Technology, won the competition with its proposal for a system to structure and manage student activity competencies. The team subsequently participated in a UC Berkeley accelerator program, marking a tangible step toward international expansion for Ewha’s student entrepreneurs.
Team AIM, the grand prize winner of the Global Student Startup Competition (GSSC)
The Startup Support Foundation goes beyond simply encouraging entrepreneurship. It operates a comprehensive entrepreneurship education and support system that helps women refine their business ideas, develop them into technology-based companies, and expand into global markets.
Kim SangJun, Head of the Startup Support Foundation and Director of the Center for Entrepreneurship, said, “This award reflects our continued efforts to build entrepreneurship-friendly infrastructure and expand an entrepreneurship ecosystem tailored to women. We will continue to actively nurture women entrepreneurs and researchers who will lead future industries and further strengthen the global startup ecosystem.”
As university-led, one-stop support systems that guide women entrepreneurs from education through business growth remain rare worldwide, Ewha’s entrepreneurship education system has attracted growing interest from international institutions. Representatives from overseas universities, including Copenhagen Business School in Denmark and the University of Strasbourg in France, visit Ewha each year to learn about its entrepreneurship education system and exchange experiences and expertise. Ewha plans to continue expanding exchanges with universities and institutions in Korea and abroad while developing a global model for supporting women entrepreneurs that universities and institutions around the world can benchmark.