Selected for the “Youth Leap Talent Development Boot Camp” Program Organized by the Global Entrepreneurship and Venture Graduate School… “Launching a comprehensive track within a single university: completion of the program → employment and recognition of master’s credits → all the way to a Ph.D.”

Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) has been selected for the “2026 Youth Leap Talent Development Boot Camp” project, organized by the Ministry of Education and the Korea Institute for Advancement of Technology (KIAT).

Kookmin University’s talent development project team, competing in the “Practical Talent” category, will receive 700 million won in the first year and additional government funding in the second year, operating the project for approximately one year and six months until February 2028. The project is led by Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship and Venture (hereinafter referred to as the Graduate School of Entrepreneurship), with the Department of AI and Big Data Convergence Management in the College of Business participating as a partner department.

“Integrating AI into Entrepreneurship” — AX (AI Transformation) Entrepreneurship Talent Development

The key differentiator of Kookmin University’s project team lies in “AX (AI Transformation) talent development, which fully integrates artificial intelligence into the field of entrepreneurship.” Targeted at young adults, the program will offer a five-stage “escalator” curriculum consisting of: ▲ a common AI course; ▲ AX business automation and AI product planning; ▲ AI venture investment, startup planning, and startup acceleration (three major career tracks); and ▲ company-tailored AX capstone projects.

The target number of participants for the entire program is 320, and Kookmin University’s startup support infrastructure—including the Entrepreneurship and Startup Hub, Kookmin University Campus Town, Kookmin University Technology Holding Company, and venture funds—will be fully integrated with the bootcamp. The program will also collaborate with key institutions in the startup ecosystem, such as the Korea Angel Investment Association, the Korea Startup Pivoting Association, Infobank Co., Ltd., CNT Tech Co., Ltd., and Main Content Co., Ltd.

AI Is the New Language of Entrepreneurship

Professor Lee Woo Jin of the Graduate School of Entrepreneurship serves as the project’s general manager. The project was planned and prepared in collaboration with Lecturer Lim Han-kyu of the Graduate School of Entrepreneurship—who has been teaching in the entrepreneurship field for over 10 years and promoting practical AX—and Professor Jeong Yeo-jin of the Department of AI and Big Data Convergence Management.

Professor Lee stated, “AI is no longer just a tool; it is the new language of entrepreneurship,” adding, “The essence of this project is to cultivate ‘practical AX talent’—individuals who can immediately create an MVP and commercialize it using AI, even without coding skills.” She further emphasized, “We will not stop at simply issuing certificates; we will create an ‘academic gateway’ that accumulates and converts young people’s learning histories into lifelong academic assets.”

Aligned with President Jeong Seung-ryeol’s “Entrepreneurial University” Vision

This selection aligns perfectly with the “Entrepreneurial University” vision that President Jeong Seung-ryeol has been promoting. Since establishing the Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship and Venture in 2014, Kookmin University has progressively built infrastructure such as the technology holding company’s proprietary venture fund, the Kookmin University Campus Town, and the Entrepreneurship and Startup Hub. This boot camp initiative marks the first instance of integrating and operating the university’s startup infrastructure—centered on the Graduate School of Entrepreneurship—with the goal of “cultivating young entrepreneurial talent.”

“Bootcamp → Master’s → Ph.D.”: A Single-University Lifelong Career Track

In particular, the most notable distinguishing feature of this program is the three-part benefit package offered to bootcamp graduates who advance to the master’s program at Kookmin University’s Graduate School of Entrepreneurship. The project team provides benefits such as ▲ additional points in the admissions process ▲ recognition of up to 6–9 credits for prior coursework (three elective courses in the major) ▲ waiver of the admission fee; separately, it awards four types of digital microdegrees (AI Product Planning, Venture Investment Analyst, Startup Education Director, and Accelerator Manager).

In addition to the Master’s program in Entrepreneurship at the Graduate School of Global Entrepreneurship and Venture, Kookmin University also offers a Ph.D. program in Entrepreneurship within its general graduate school. This allows Bootcamp graduates to complete a career track—from “Bootcamp → Microdegree → Master’s in Entrepreneurship → Ph.D. in Entrepreneurship”—entirely within a single university. This is a very rare instance among Korean universities of having a consistent track from non-degree education in entrepreneurship all the way to master’s and doctoral degrees.

Professor Lee explained, “We are also considering a plan to grant outstanding boot camp graduates separate graduate school scholarships along with research assistant (RA) positions at the ‘AI Entrepreneurship Innovation Research Center,’ which is scheduled to be established in the future,” adding, “The fact that we designed the short-term boot camp to function as a platform for young people’s lifelong learning and career development received high marks in the KIAT evaluation.”

Through this project, Kookmin University plans to cultivate “elite talent trained in practical entrepreneurship curricula integrated with AI,” while also attracting outstanding applicants to its Global Entrepreneurship and Venture Graduate School and deepening the academic ecosystem of entrepreneurship studies in Korea.