# Asan Nanum Foundation

> Asan Nanum Foundation is a South Korean public-interest foundation established in 2011 with backing from Chung Mong-joon, his family, and Hyundai-related companies. It operates MARU startup hubs in Seoul and San Mateo, supports entrepreneurship education and early-stage ventures, strengthens nonprofit organizations, and invests in the startup ecosystem through venture funds and accelerators.

- **Founded:** 2011
- **Headquarters:** Seoul, South Korea
- **Founders:** Chung Mong-joon (Founder and founding benefactor; honorary chairman)
- **Products:** MARU180, MARU360, MARU SF, Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition, Asan Youth-Preneur
- **Notable:** Opened MARU180 in April 2014 and MARU360 in November 2021., Youth-Preneur reported reaching about 18,000 students across 800 schools by January 2025., Opened its first overseas hub, MARU SF, in November 2025 following a pilot involving 53 membership startups.

## Products & services

- **MARU180** — Seoul startup incubation hub combining workspace, growth programs, and community access.
- **MARU360** — Expanded Seoul entrepreneurship hub with startup offices, event facilities, and a content production studio.
- **MARU SF** — San Mateo short-stay residential and community hub supporting Korean startups entering the United States; officially opened November 12, 2025.
- **Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition** — Practical startup support and pitching program launched in 2012; its October 2026 event is scheduled to feature 15 teams and KRW 370 million in total prizes.
- **Asan Youth-Preneur** — Project-based entrepreneurship education for secondary school students.
- **Asan Teacher-Preneur** — Entrepreneurship training for primary and secondary school teachers.
- **Asan Entrepreneurship Review** — Startup case studies examining business challenges and decision-making for university learning.
- **Asan Nonprofit Startup** — Acceleration for early nonprofit organizations; the 2026 growth track selected six organizations for KRW 50 million each in project support plus advisory and impact-measurement assistance.
- **Asan Frontier Academy** — Leadership and organizational capability development for social-sector professionals.
- **Asan Voyager** — U.S. market-entry support combining local stays, coaching, and networking.
- **Asan UniverCT** — University-linked climate-tech entrepreneurship support; the program page lists KAIST, Seoul National University, and Ewha Womans University as 2025 partners.
- **Asan Sanghoe** — Inclusive entrepreneurship incubation for founders from diverse backgrounds, including North Korean defectors.
- **Asan Doers** — Incubation for university and graduate students pursuing global startup ideas.
- **Chung Ju-yung Angel Investment Fund** — Catalytic investment in venture capital funds and accelerators to diversify early-stage startup finance.

## Achievements

- Opened MARU180 in April 2014 and MARU360 in November 2021.
- Youth-Preneur reported reaching about 18,000 students across 800 schools by January 2025.
- Opened its first overseas hub, MARU SF, in November 2025 following a pilot involving 53 membership startups.
- The September 2026 startup competition announcement reports 220 alumni teams since 2012, including MyRealTrip, Classum, and Doodlin.
- Published a 2026 Failure Museum catalogue featuring 26 accounts of experimentation from 29 students.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Announced a November 17 nonprofit startup conference with nine pitching teams and KRW 100 million in total prizes; this supersedes the KRW 90 million prize plan mentioned in April.
- **2026-09** — Announced the October 28 Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition at COEX, with 15 teams across four categories and KRW 370 million in prizes.
- **2026-09** — Published the Youth-Preneur Failure Museum catalogue with 26 examples involving 29 students.
- **2026-08** — Opened second-half MARU batch applications, offering up to 18 months of residency; applications closed August 28.

## Links

- Website: https://asan-nanum.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/asan-nanum-foundation/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGcV3lb8krcPJqxW4Pi0ofg
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/asannanum_official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAsanNanum

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/asan-nanum-foundation
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-24