Dankook University’s Startup Support Center announced on the 10th that it is recruiting companies for the “2026 Sports Industry Startup Support Project.”
The initiative is part of the Sports Industry Startup Support Project (Preliminary & Early-Stage Startup Support Center), run by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Sports Promotion Foundation. Its goal is to identify promising sports-sector startups, accelerate their commercialization and link them with investors.
Eligible applicants include pre-launch founders and early-stage startups less than three years old with sports-related ideas or plans to enter the sports market. Dankook plans to select roughly 14 companies.
Selected startups can receive commercialization grants of up to 58.5 million KRW (about $43,875), with an average award around 45 million KRW (about $33,750). The program also offers tailored support such as investment-readiness coaching and IR pitch-deck production, AC/VC investor-matching demo days, stage-specific networking for sports startups, PoC meetings with major and mid-sized sports companies, and global expansion programs.
Dankook will leverage its sports research facilities and industry-academia networks to support startup growth. The university’s package includes access to sports institutions and industry networks, connections to direct investment through Dankook’s tech-holding company and private investment pools, plus incubation space and equipment.
The application deadline is 4:00 PM on the 24th. Companies can apply online via the Sports Industry Support website and should select “Dankook University” as the operating organization. An online information session explaining the program and application process will be held on the 11th at 10:30 AM.
Nam Jeong-min, head of the Startup Support Center, said Dankook will actively seek out sports–AI convergence startups and help them scale into globally competitive sports companies by leveraging the university’s sports-science research capabilities and startup infrastructure. He encouraged companies with innovative sports ideas to apply.
