Representatives of the 14 selected teams and officials pose for a group photo at the orientation for Orange Planet’s 2025 second-half regular recruitment | Photo by Smilegate
Smilegate Orange Planet Foundation (Center Director: Sang Bong Suh) announced on the 28th that it has selected 14 teams in total through its regular recruitment for the second half of 2025.
Orange Planet selected six teams for “Orange Farm” and eight for “Orange Garden.” These programs classify startups by business development stage. Orange Farm targets startups that require early investment and business scaling, while Orange Garden supports teams in the early stages of entrepreneurship.
More than 400 teams applied from diverse sectors, including travel, advertising, content, productivity, beauty, data, and commerce. After reviewing applications, interviews, and presentations, Orange Planet selected startups with strong execution capabilities and growth potential. Smilegate Investment also participated in the selection process to review early-stage investment opportunities.
The selected teams will receive customized support tailored to their progress and business stage, including education, coaching, mentoring, and assistance for global expansion. They will also benefit from mentoring by senior entrepreneurs and networking opportunities with other alumni startups.
Orange Farm teams will be provided with office space for 12 months at Teheran-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. They will have access to up to 1 billion won in investment from Smilegate Investment, mentoring from venture capitalists to attract follow-up investments, and opportunities to connect with the TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) initiative. Orange Garden teams will receive six months of office space and support for customer discovery, marketing, and market-entry strategy development, along with potential investment opportunities.
Over the past decade, Orange Planet has supported more than 400 startups, with the combined valuation of its alumni companies exceeding 3.8 trillion won. This year, it has expanded opportunities by offering a five-week online incubation program for teams that did not make the cut but wish to continue their entrepreneurial journey.
Sang Bong Suh, Director of Orange Planet, said, “Orange Planet has established itself as a global startup platform that helps startups overcome growth barriers and expand into international markets. We will continue to strengthen our support system to provide startups with the practical resources they need and reinforce the virtuous cycle of innovation.”
