The 2023 Newtro Festival ‘Oneul-Juntong’ Opening Ceremony: Celebrating the 2022 Traditional Culture Youth Awards at Culture Station Seoul 284

On February 1, 2023, the Newtro Festival ‘Oneul-Juntong’ Opening Ceremony was held at Culture Station Seoul 284, where the 2022 Traditional Culture Youth Awards were presented to startups participating in the “Traditional Culture Youth Venture Accelerating Program” by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Craft & Design Foundation.

Found Corporation, provider of Korean incense and holders and the founder of the brand ‘Ollot’, was awarded the Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Award as an extraordinary traditional culture youth venture startup. The company was among the startups accelerated by N15 Partners, a leading accelerator of traditional culture-based startups.

Gangsan Sogokju, a modern reinterpretation of Hansan Sogokju, Ongo – a cushion and dreamcatcher with a modern twist on traditional culture, and Jin Corporation, provider of traditional hair accessories, each won the Startup Planner Award.

The awards ceremony was followed by a full event, including a business announcement by Found Corporation and various performances. N15 Partners, known for their unique scale-up programs, helped 34 different traditional culture-based startups gain wider recognition, advertising, and potential sales channels, as well as attract investors.

Through proof-of-concept testing, analysis reports, and assistance with local government fairs, flagship stores, pop-up stores, ‘Huayo Jang’ store openings, and overseas market expansion, N15 Partners helped these startups succeed. They also hosted the ‘Traditional Culture Demo-Day, Huayo Jang Plus’ at Collab House Dosan in November, where the startups shared their achievements over the year. These efforts resulted in a 149.57% revenue growth, 104 sales channel discoveries, and 126 patents and trademark approvals among the startups.

Jea Huh, CEO of N15 Partners, stated “N15 Partners is dedicated to supporting traditional culture sector youth startups in acquiring global competitiveness, expanding their businesses, and attracting outside investments.”