Lee Seung-kyu, executive vice president of The Pinkfong Company, speaks during the 2022 Startup:CON content startup boost event at COEX convention center in Seoul, Oct. 25, 2022. Newsis

The government will hold an event called Startup:CON this month to support the growth of budding domestic content startups, including their entry into global markets. The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced on Friday that the event will bring together investors, experts and content creators.

Co-organized by the culture ministry and Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA), Startup:CON is an event designed to support content startups, celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Seen is a poster for this year's Startup:CON content startup boost event organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Creative Content Agency, which will be held in Seoul from Sept. 26 to 27. Courtesy of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism

The event brings together early-stage companies from Korea and abroad, investors, content experts and creators to explore and share directions for growth and global expansion. This year's event will be held at Space Wadiz in Seongsu-dong, eastern Seoul, on Sept. 26 and 27.

On the first day of the event, eight content startups will compete in Battle Field, an overseas expansion audition for early-stage companies, with a total prize of 100 million won ($75,210). These finalists will have their business models evaluated, and the top three will be awarded during this competition.

During the KNOCK demo day event on the second day, participating companies will have opportunities for investment consultations with domestic and overseas buyers. Companies discovered by KNOCK partners, consisting of content industry investors, and KOCCA will hold investment briefings, and outstanding companies will be awarded a total of 70 million won ($52,650) in prizes.

"Ten excellent companies from various content fields including drama, webtoons (online comics), stories, characters, immersive performances, music technology, fandom businesses and edutainment will compete for investment attraction," the ministry said.

Additionally, during the event, participating companies and creators will have the opportunity to attend conferences sharing insights on global expansion and investment strategies from domestic and international content industry experts, as well as business meetings with buyers, including 30 investment companies from countries such as the United States and Singapore.

"As the nation's only global content event, Startup:CON has played a significant role, serving as a bridge connecting early-stage startups with global content experts and investors," Yune Yang-su, director of the Content Policy Bureau of the culture ministry, said. "As we celebrate the 10th anniversary this year with the largest-ever number of foreign investors and leading companies invited, we will spare no efforts in supporting more K-content startups to enter the global market."