Hyun Sil Ahn, Vice President of Research Affairs at UNIST, was awarded a distinguished honor at the '30th Anniversary of South Korea's Venture Industry' celebration, held at the InterContinental Grand Seoul Parnas on December 2, 2025.
Organized by the Korea Venture Business Association (KOVA), the event recognized key figures who have contributed to Korea's innovation landscape over the past three decades. Among the awardees, Vice President Ahn was acknowledged for his extensive experience across media and policy, as well as his dedicated efforts to nurture Korea's venture ecosystem.
Vice President Ahn graduated from Seoul National University's Department of Economics and pursued his Master's and Ph.D. in Business and Technology Management at KAIST. During his time as an editorialist for the Korea Economic Daily, he emphasized the critical role of technology-driven startups as Korea's next growth engine. He also openly addressed the challenges of a heavily regulated market, consistently advocating for a more vibrant, private-sector-led innovation ecosystem. His insights and advocacy have established him as a prominent supporter of Korea's innovation community.
Since taking on his role as Vice President of UNIST in December last year, Ahn has been leading efforts to accelerate the university's technology commercialization initiatives. His approach has shifted from traditional academic metrics focused on publications to building strong, laboratory-based startup platforms.
UNIST is actively expanding its deep-tech startup ecosystem, capitalizing on the manufacturing strengths of the Southeast region. The university's faculty-led startup activity ranks among the top nationwide among research-intensive institutions, with numerous biotech, AI, and semiconductor startups already eyeing international markets.
Ahn remarked, "Universities should serve as a bridge that transforms scientific and technological breakthroughs into market-ready solutions. I am dedicated to elevating UNIST as a global startup hub and strengthening Korea's venture competitiveness."
To date, UNIST has produced 194 startups, with a total valuation exceeding KRW 1.37 trillion. The university's five-year startup survival rate stands at an impressive 74%, far surpassing the national average of 33.8%, demonstrating the strength and sustainability of its entrepreneurial ecosystem.
To date, UNIST has produced 194 startups, with a total valuation exceeding 1.37 trillion won. The university's five-year startup survival rate stands at an impressive 74%, significantly surpassing the national average of 33.8%, reflecting the strength and sustainability of its entrepreneurial ecosystem.
UNIST Holdings Co., Ltd. is also expanding its commercialization efforts. Recently, it has been officially designated as the final general partner (GP) for the KFoF dedicated to public technology commercialization, with a total scale of 120 billion KRW. Additionally, it has been also selected as a new operator for the 2025 TIPS, a technology startup support program, initiated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) of Korea to promote private investments on startups.
The celebration drew over a thousand venture entrepreneurs, startup leaders, and industry experts, who gathered to discuss the future of AI and deep-tech industries over the next 30 years.
