Korea Startup Forum Opens Second Recruitment for Support Program Using AI Startup Claude

[Financial News] The startup industry is expanding cooperation with global big tech companies to reduce the cost burden of using generative artificial intelligence (AI). As AI model fees can add to development costs, particularly for early-stage startups, credit support that can be used to develop actual services is emerging as a new form of assistance.
According to industry sources on the 7th, the Korea Startup Forum has begun its second recruitment round for the Claude Credit Support Program, designed to strengthen startups’ AI capabilities.
The program provides credits so startups can use Claude, an AI model developed by U.S. AI company Anthropic, to develop their own services and for other purposes. Selected companies will receive credits worth $5,000, while companies that use all of those credits will receive an additional $5,000, bringing the maximum support to approximately $10,000 per company.
Eligible applicants are full members of the Korea Startup Forum. The forum plans to prioritize AI-native startups that use AI as a core competitive advantage in their products or services.
About 380 member companies applied for the first round of the program. Of these, approximately 190 were companies that newly joined the Korea Startup Forum after news of its partnership with Anthropic. This highlights the rapidly growing demand among startups for generative AI.
The Korea Startup Forum plans to expand its support connecting global big tech companies with Korean startups through this program. Rather than limiting cooperation to education or consulting, it aims to broaden the model by providing technology, resources and networks that can be deployed in actual businesses.
Kim Jae-won, chair of the Korea Startup Forum, said, "Through the second round of support, we hope more member companies will be able to use these benefits in their actual businesses and strengthen their AI competitiveness."
[email protected] Lee Ju-mi Reporter