Brinc, a global venture accelerator that supports startups in areas like climate tech, AI, and IoT, has officially entered the South Korean market. It bought Next Stage Venture Studio, a Seoul-based accelerator that started in 2024. This is the first time a global accelerator has purchased a local one in South Korea, showing Brinc’s strong commitment to building better startup networks in the Asia-Pacific region.
Brinc Korea is launching when South Korea becomes more popular as a tech innovation center. According to the 2024 Global Startup Ecosystem Report by Startup Genome, Seoul is in the top 20 cities globally, with a startup ecosystem valued at over $160 billion.
Despite this growth, Korean startups still struggle to access global funding, mentorship, and corporate partnerships. Brinc Korea plans to help solve these problems directly.
Next Stage was founded by Jinho Bae and Jonathan Moore, alumni of Techstars, along with two other co-founders experienced in startup investment. Next Stage has focused on helping founders directly with hands-on support.
Now, as part of Brinc, the Next Stage team will bring their local knowledge to Brinc’s well-established accelerator program, which runs in 15 locations across seven countries.
Through Brinc Korea, early-stage Korean startups will have the chance to get international investment, support for entering global markets, and valuable connections to corporate partners.
Brinc’s current portfolio includes over 260 startups that have raised over $300 million. These startups are supported by well-known investors like Breakthrough Energy, SOSV, Y Combinator, and 500 Startups.
Brinc Korea will also help Korean companies and institutions find new technologies worldwide. This will bring international innovation into local industries. In the past, Brinc has worked with global brands like Huawei, Schneider Electric, PepsiCo, and Manulife.
South Korea represents a strategic opportunity with a high density of technical founders and scalable innovation,” said Manav Gupta, founder and CEO of Brinc. “By acquiring Next Stage, we are embedding Brinc deeper into APAC’s startup fabric and expanding support for mission-driven founders.”
“We saw immediate alignment with Brinc in our approach to founder engagement,” added Jonathan Moore, co-founder of Next Stage. “This integration allows us to bring global reach and capital to South Korea’s early-stage ecosystem.”
Brinc Korea’s launch positions it as a key player in bridging South Korea’s domestic innovation with global markets.
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