*Photo description: (from left) Kang Ingu, Kim Nayeon, Lee Haenaem, and Han Seungki from Match, a business startup club at CUK, selected as the final candidate for the 2023 Preliminary Startup Package Support Project

Match, a business startup club under the Startup Lab at the Catholic University of Korea, was selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ "2023 Preliminary Startup Package Support Project."

The "2023 Preliminary Startup Package Support Project" is a project jointly hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development to support the entrepreneurs-to-be with innovative technology-based startup ideas for their smooth launch of a business.

Match, a business startup club consisting of students at the Catholic University of Korea, was selected for this project as the feasibility and the social value of their idea, a sponsorship mediating platform, was highly evaluated. Match is comprised of four students - Han Seungki (Senior, Psychology), Kang Ingu (Senior, Sociology), Kim Nayeon (Senior, Media Technology & Media Contents), and Lee Haenaem (Junior, Chemistry).

Match is developing a sponsorship mediating service that intuitively displays the sponsorship process using design techniques such as characters and animation. In order to realize the service, the team developed its own fintech technology that assigns a serial number to donations so they can be managed transparently and the details of the usage can be shared. The team aims to increase transparency in the use of donations with differentiated digital technology and promote the donating culture.

Han Seungki, a student who participated in the development of Match's service, said, “The activities of the startup club on campus and the experience of winning a startup idea contest have been a great help in shaping the business and cultivating entrepreneurship. Now that we are selected as the preliminary entrepreneur by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, their support, such as mentoring programs and commercialization funds, will be very helpful in preparing for our future business.”

“I am proud that the ideas of my students were recognized for their excellence and that they gained momentum for entrepreneurship. I will continue to support students in various ways so more of them can successfully realize their innovative ideas,” said Seong Jaeyoul, head of the Business Incubation Center (Professor of Business Administration) at CUK, who served as a mentor for Match.