SKT CEO Jung Jae-heon Pledges to Be an 'AI Partner'..."Support for 500 Start-ups Over Five Years" [MWC 2026]

In Barcelona, Spain, SK Telecom announced on the 5th that CEO Jung Jae-heon met with Korean start-up leaders at Mobile World Congress 2026 (MWC 2026) and pledged to become their "artificial intelligence (AI) partner."
This year, SK Telecom is operating the "SK Telecom Start-up Pavilion" at 4 Years From Now (4YFN), a side event of MWC 26, supporting exhibitions by 15 innovative start-ups in AI and environmental, social and governance (ESG) fields.
On the 3rd (local time), Jung held a lunch meeting with representatives from the 15 start-ups taking part in the exhibition. At the meeting, he shared SK Telecom's plans and vision for revitalizing the start-up ecosystem. He also reviewed their technologies and business models firsthand and discussed the challenges they face in going global and collaborating with large corporations.
Referring to the government's "Vision for Start-up and Venture Policy" and the "Comprehensive Measures for Leaping to the 4th Venture Powerhouse," which underscore its commitment to nurturing AI start-ups, Jung said, "In line with the government's strong will, SK Telecom will also become an AI partner for start-ups."
Jung went on to say, "By 2030, SK Telecom will support the growth of 500 start-ups over the next five years through a variety of initiatives," presenting a concrete plan with numerical targets.
This year, SK Telecom plans to support a total of 80 start-ups through initiatives such as operating its own accelerator programs "Sketch for Good" and "SKTCH with AI," providing support via the SKTCH collaboration platform, partnering with the Daejeon-Sejong Creative Economy Innovation Center, participating in government-backed programs for prospective, early-stage and growth-stage start-ups, and organizing one-on-one consultation meetups.
SK Telecom intends to gradually increase the number of supported start-ups each year, backing 90 in 2027, 100 in 2028, 110 in 2029 and 120 in 2030, for an annual average of 100 start-ups over five years.
An SK Telecom official stated, "CEO Jung's AI partner pledge is not just a declaration, but an execution strategy to link SK Telecom's AI technology, infrastructure and business capabilities with start-ups so we can grow together," adding, "SK Telecom will continue to provide comprehensive support so that start-ups can advance into global markets."
mkchang@fnnews.com Reporter Jang Min-kwon Reporter