South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups has recruited Mok Seung-hwan, the chief executive officer of Seoul National University Technology Holdings, as the head of the Startup and Venture Innovation Office.
Mok became the CEO of Seoul National University Technology Holdings in 2020 and was reappointed last year.
The commercialisation arm of Seoul National University was launched in 2008. In 2017, it raised its first investment vehicle and today manages 14 funds with more than ₩120 billion under management. It has a portfolio of more than 230 spinouts.
The ministry expects Mok’s appointment to accelerate the development of the local innovation ecosystem, and the government plans to identify and reduce pitfalls in policy that are currently inhibiting would-be founders.
The government is particularly keen on supporting the creation of deep tech startups and supporting their international expansion efforts.
