"Startup for Everyone" Deadline D-14 — 7 Things to Check Before 4 PM on May 15
With 14 days left until the May 15, 4 PM deadline for "Startup for Everyone," we've prioritized 7 checkpoints to handle the application surge (510,000 cumulative visitors, 8,720 idea submissions) and make the final 5,000.
There are 14 days left until the Startup for Everyone project application deadline of 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026. With applications flooding in, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups even activated an expedited review process, and the first-round selection results for early applicants who applied by April 23 have been finalized. Now that the countdown toward the regular deadline has begun, we've laid out, in order of priority, the 7 checklist items to make it into the final 5,000.
Exactly how many days are left until the Startup for Everyone deadline?
Today is May 1, 2026, and there are exactly 14 days left until the application deadline. The deadline is 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026, and after exactly 4 p.m., new applications are no longer possible (source: Bizinfo integrated recruitment notice).
Key schedule summary
- Application start: March 26, 2026
- Application deadline: 4:00 p.m. on Friday, May 15, 2026
- Application platform: modoo.or.kr
- As of 9 a.m. on April 16: 510,000 cumulative visitors, 8,720 idea submissions (source: Newsis 2026.04.16)
- Expedited-review first-round selection: notifications finalized in late April
- Final selection size: 5,000 (source: Korea Policy Briefing)
The government activated an expedited review process for early applicants who applied by April 23, and the first-round mentor-institution selection results were notified in late April (source: Newsis 2026.04.16). Applicants from May 1 onward follow the regular deadline (4 p.m. on May 15). Rather than leaving the final 24 hours before the deadline as your work time, we recommend a schedule that finishes all work by May 13–14.
Why do you need to confirm your track first?
In the first step of the application, you must choose between the General/Tech track and the Local track, and the eligibility, evaluation stages, and review criteria all differ by track. If you choose the wrong track, the evaluation criteria themselves clash with your item, and your acceptance rate plummets.
| Item | General/Tech track | Local track |
|---|---|---|
| Selection size | 4,000 | 1,000 |
| Eligibility | Prospective founders + companies within 3 years of founding | Prospective founders only |
| Review structure | Stage-by-stage audition | Stage-by-stage audition |
| Core evaluation | Technology-based innovativeness | Local resources, local value |
(source: Bizinfo integrated recruitment notice, Korea Policy Briefing)
What CoworkCity realized while reviewing government support programs in its early days in 2022 is that track selection changes the entire direction of business plan writing. Only after the track is set are the keywords, market definition, comparison targets, and evaluation weights determined. Since the track is hard to change once selected, it must be confirmed first.
How do you write the one-line business definition?
The first item on the application, the one-line business definition, is written in the format of "whose problem, what kind, and how it's solved." This single line determines the first impression within 30 seconds in the mentor evaluation.
A good one-line definition includes the following 4 elements.
- Target customer — a concrete definition, not "people" (e.g., "one-person businesses")
- Core problem — measurable cost/time, not vague "inconvenience"
- Solution method — a differentiation keyword, not a generic expression
- Result — a quantified metric such as time saved or cost reduced
Example — including the 4 elements "We cut the office contract—which takes a one-person business who needs a business registration an average of 3 days—down to a 24-hour, 3-minute electronic contract system."
A one-line definition in this format becomes the benchmark for every section of the business plan.
What are the 4 key figures to include in the application?
The audition is idea-focused, but an idea missing figures scores close to zero on market potential, one of the 4 evaluation axes. The 4 key figures you must include in the application are as follows.
| Figure | Source | Evaluation item |
|---|---|---|
| Market size (TAM) | Statistics Korea KOSIS, Korea Institute for Industrial Economics & Trade, and other public data | Market potential |
| Number of target customers | National Tax Service business statistics, Statistics Korea | Feasibility |
| Competitor pricing/quantity | Competitor disclosures and websites | Differentiation |
| Your own execution history | Education, career, awards, launch experience | Founder capability |
Figures must be official materials with sources, not estimates. The government evaluation panel filters out unsourced market estimates the fastest.
Do you need to decide your business registration address before applying?
Business registration isn't required at Stage 1 of the application, but from the point of Stage 2 commercialization funding (up to 20 million won) disbursement, business registration is effectively mandatory for processing tax invoices (source: KISED). So it's reasonable to decide on your business address before applying.
There are three options.
- Home address — 0 won cost, but risks of personal information disclosure, higher health insurance premiums, and residence disputes
- Renting a real address — unrealistic in the early stages due to the deposit and monthly rent burden
- Virtual office — from 20,000 won per month, a dedicated business registration address
CoworkCity operates business registration addresses from 20,000 won per month (based on annual payment for sole proprietors) across over 180 branches nationwide, with a 24-hour 3-minute electronic contract and a 100% refund guarantee if the business registration is rejected. If you secure your address before applying, you can complete business registration within 2–3 business days of the announcement.
How do you avoid the access surge at the 4 p.m. deadline?
With cumulative visitors already exceeding 510,000 as of April 16 and the government even introducing an expedited review process, a simultaneous access surge is expected in the final hour before the 4 p.m. deadline (source: The Electronic Times 2026.04.16). Since you can't control the application platform's access load itself, advance preparation determines your eligibility for acceptance.
The 3 strategies to avoid the deadline surge are as follows.
- Complete submission on May 13–14 — set 24–48 hours before the deadline as your own deadline
- Prepare on mobile and PC simultaneously — switch immediately if one access route is blocked
- Upload attachments in advance — uploading files before writing the body shortens the time needed in the final step
Final check — 5 things to confirm right before applying
These are the items to confirm in the last 5 minutes before submission. If any of these 5 are missing, you may be unable to enter the evaluation stage at all, or a penalty may arise.
- Is your track selection correct (you can apply to only one track, no changes allowed)?
- Does the one-line business definition include the 4 elements (customer, problem, method, result)?
- Are the 4 key figures marked with sources?
- Is the (planned) business address stated?
- Do the attachments meet the format/size limits?
Wrapping up — How to spend 14 days most valuably
Fourteen days is a very short time. The biggest loss is leaving the final 24 hours before the deadline as your work time, and the second biggest loss is spending time only on the business plan and putting off the business registration address until last.
The most efficient schedule for using 14 days is as follows.
- D-14 to D-10 (5 days): decide the track + confirm the one-line business definition
- D-9 to D-5 (5 days): secure the key figures + write the business plan
- D-4 to D-2 (3 days): secure the business registration address + rehearse the submission
- D-1 (1 day): final check + complete submission
To make it into the final 5,000, it's not the deadline time but the time you finish preparing that determines acceptance. CoworkCity operates over 180 branches nationwide, from 20,000 won/month, with a 24-hour 3-minute electronic contract and a 100% refund guarantee on rejection for applicants who need a business registration address. To finish business registration within 2–3 business days of the announcement, securing your address before applying is the fastest path.
Official materials
- Government official announcement: Korea Policy Briefing · Ministry of SMEs and Startups press release
- Recruitment notice: Bizinfo integrated recruitment notice
- Application platform: modoo.or.kr
- Application status coverage: Newsis 2026.04.16 · The Electronic Times 2026.04.16
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