Busan, Startup Genome Partner on Startup Ecosystem

BUSAN, South Korea — Mayor Park Heung-jun met with Startup Genome Chief Executive JF Gauthier on Tuesday to discuss measures aimed at strengthening the city’s startup ecosystem and facilitating international expansion for local companies.

The meeting at Busan City Hall followed the signing of a Letter of Intent by the municipal government and the San Francisco-based Startup Genome in September 2025.

The city and Startup Genome are engaged in a three-stage consulting process that includes environmental assessment, policy design, and policy implementation to establish a roadmap for business development.

Busan aims to rank among the world’s top 30 startup cities by 2030, after being included in Startup Genome’s top 80 emerging startup ecosystems in 2025.

According to city officials, Gauthier is scheduled to remain in Busan through March 12 to conduct interviews with local venture capitalists, accelerators, and technology startups, and to review the region's business infrastructure.

The city and Startup Genome are jointly operating the "Hypergrowth" scale-up program, intended to support U.S. market entry for South Korean startups.

Two Busan-based startups have been selected for the initiative and are scheduled to visit Silicon Valley from March 17 to 20 for investor meetings and business consulting sessions with U.S. industry representatives.

Mayor Park said that integrating the city’s infrastructure with Startup Genome’s analytical framework is expected to raise Busan’s profile among international investors and entrepreneurs.