The South Korean startup ecosystem is one of the most progressive and thriving one in the world. Besides the inherent entrepreneurial nature of Koreans, the most important aspect is the support to entrepreneurs and startups by the government, corporate, and various agencies in the country.
The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), a government agency, has been at the forefront supporting the ever-growing startup ecosystem of South Korea.
What is KOCCA?
KOCCA or Korea Creative Content Agency was founded in May 2009 to oversee and coordinate the promotion of the Korean content industry by combining five related organizations, including the Korean Broadcasting Institute, the Korea Culture & Content Agency, and the Korea Game Agency.
KOCCA’s main aim is to introduce Korean content to the world, such as Korean Dramas (K-Dramas), Korean Music (K-Pop), Korean Beauty, Korean Fashion, Korean Games, and Korean Animation, etc. KOCCA is also actively working with startups to introduce new & innovative technologies that can help enhance the reach of Korean content to the world.
VISION
Develop Korea into one of the world’s top five content powerhouses.MISSION
Contribute to creating jobs and improving quality of life through advancing the content industry.
KOCCA is responsible for supporting various future-oriented projects to sharpen further the competitive edge of the Korean content industry on the global stage in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. They include the production of VR, AR and other next-generation content, R&D in Culture Technology (CT), the discovery of original stories, the development of new broadcast formats, the incubation of startup businesses, the cultivation of content talents, customized support for creative works, the utilization of one source multi-use (OSMU) sharing the same intellectual property investment and financing programs for small content firms, mid-to-long-term research in content policy, and industry analysis.
The main business of KOCCA can be broadly defined under the following:
1) Support development and production of quality creative content.
2) Helping Korean Content firms for overseas expansion
3) Support for Content Firms for Marketing and attracting investment
4) Culture Technology (CT) R&D support – that is helping with technology innovation, planning & production.
5) Support Startups
6) Support Content Firms
7) Foster Talent
8) Help the Story Industry
9) Promoting Local Content Industry
10) Creating a Virtuous Cycle Ecosystem to support fair trade
11) Policy Development & Research
12) Support for Industry Infrastructure.
KOCCA is headquartered in Naju, the “culture and art city” of Jeolla Province, also known for its abundance of white pear flowers in full bloom every March. The agency has offices in the US, Japan, China, Europe, Indonesia & UAE.
KOCCA’s role in the Korean Startup Ecosystem
KOCCA is a very active agency when it comes to working with numerous startups in South Korea. The agency has a Content Korea Lan (CKL) that helps startups through various programs like mentoring, networking, funding, marketing, etc. CKL has established an Idea Fusion Factory that helps to create ideas and eventually produce content.
KOCCA supports startups at various stages through programs like Startup Farm, Startup League, Startup Masters. KOCCA also offers open spaces, facilities for creative activities, and generating prototypes. They have different levels of support for each stage of a startup. For example, there is the Startup Farm, Content Startup League, and Startup Masters.
KOCCA also organizes various events and programs in collaboration with prominent institutes in the country to help startups network globally and attract investments. Some of KOCCA’s past programs that have seen tremendous success are K-Content Startup in Japan 2019, K-Content Startup Event in Los Angeles USA in 2018 & 2019.
KOCCA also organizes events & eXhibitions to promote music, movies, games, cultural aspects throughout the year like Mu:Con, Korea’s New Offer for Content of Korea (KNock), Broadcast Worldwide (BCWW), NCC (Next Content Conference), etc.
KOCCA also runs content creation training for youth, teenagers, through content-specialized programs in high schools in Korea, and an online Content Academy.
With Korean content getting much popular across the globe, the role of KOCCA as a supporter of Creative Korean startups is crucial. KOCCA’s role in supporting new and innovative technologies for content creation will not only help startups in Korea but will also introduce path-breaking creations to the world.
