2025–2026 OVERVIEW
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship CIE Korea connects student talent, applied research, and global startups with the Northern Virginia ecosystem
01
Our Strategic Focus 01
02
03
Experiential Learning
Applied Research
Global Startup Acceleration
Build entrepreneurial talent through venture creation and global exposure.
Faculty–student research on entrepreneurship, innovation ecosystems, and startup policy.
Help Korean startups validate, connect, and enter the U.S. market.
PPCK Flagship student pitch competition — Songdo to the Fairfax stage.
Fairfax City EDA – International Business Research (Fall 2025)
Incheon Startup Academy Regional startup academy, multi-stage program.
NISA U.S. market-entry runway into Northern Virginia (Cohort 2 open). Incheon Univ. X Global scale-up program — Korean startups to U.S. opportunities
Modoo Startup (모두의 창업) Broad foundational skills; CIE Korea as partner to INU. 02
2026 Patriot Pitch Competition Korea George Mason University Korea · Inha University · Incheon National University April 2026 – April 2027
ELIGIBILITY Participating schools
George Mason University · Inha University · Incheon National University
Team composition
Mason Korea students must make up at least 50% of each team
Venture age
Founded after November 2023
Financial status
Under $100,000 annual revenue and under $50,000 outside funding
PROGRAM ROADMAP Apr 15
Jun–Aug
Sep 2
Sep 21
Oct
Nov 2
Networking Mixer
Summer Basecamp
Applications Open
Preliminary Round
Global Mentoring
Final Round
Kickoff
Draper Startup House Songdo
Portal opens
Top 6 selected
Weekly sessions
Korea finals
→ April 2027 · 2027 Patriot Pitch Competition, Fairfax, VA
SUMMER BASECAMP Draper Startup House Songdo
Bi-weekly Mixer Wednesdays (BMW)
7F, 13-46 Songdogwahak-ro 16beon-gil, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon
16:00 – 18:00
– George Mason Room: reserved workspace for committed teams
6/10
Kickoff and orientation
6/24
Speaker session
– Team-up Board: post ideas and find cofounders
8/12
Application workshop
8/26
Application workshop
2026 Patriot Pitch Competition Korea George Mason University Korea · Inha University · Incheon National University April 2026 – April 2027
Program launch
Basecamp & mentoring
https://www.linkedin.com/company/ masonkorea-cie
Application workshop
milgram.io/community/ppck
REGIONAL STUDENT PLATFORM
Incheon University Consortium Startup Academy WHA T I T I S A regional, multi-stage program uniting 13 Incheon-area universities. Teams progress through a Startup Camp, a three-month Stepping Stone accelerator, and a final Pitch Competition, all themed around improving quality of life for Incheon citizens. • Three stages: Startup Camp → Stepping Stone → Pitch Competition (Songdo Convensia, Oct 14–15). • Mason traction: 9 Mason Korea students completed the July Startup Camp; 5 advanced to the next phase. • Benefits: prize money for every team; top teams earn a site visit to Japan IT Week Osaka 2026. • Capital: investment linkage to the Incheon University Youth Startup Fund (KRW 51.02B).
13
9
5
3
Partner Universities
MK Participants
Advanced
Program Stages
05
GLOBAL SCALE-UP
Incheon Univ. X — Targeted U.S. Market Entry WHA T I T I S A targeted acceleration engagement with Incheon Technopark in which GMU researcher and experts advise three high-potential Korean deep-tech startups on U.S. market entry and R&D collaboration, culminating in an on-site program in Northern Virginia. • Cohort: Mondrian AI, MGHNRT, and Nurie AI. • Mason delivers: Company assessment → faculty/SME matching (IDIA) → virtual program (IDIA/MCG) → on-site U.S. program (November). • Goal: Validate technology, find U.S. market fit, and open international R&D collaboration. • Engagement: 130M KRW (Approx. $92K USD), running Aug 20 – Nov 30, 2026. Mondrian AI: Enterprise AI infrastructure and smart manufacturing. (Series B / preparing for U.S. expansion and future IPO)
Nurie AI (VaultSage): AI document management and collaboration platform. (Series A)
MGHNRT (Neurotalk): AI-based personalized speech rehabilitation. (Series A)
05
NETWORK
Our Global Ecosystem Connecting Korean ventures to George Mason’s global ecosystem
PARTNERS & NETWORK
U.S. CAMPUSES Fairfax Campus • •
Industry Partners
Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) Mason Enterprise Center
Mason Square (Arlington) • •
Institute for Digital Innovation (IDIA) Fuse at Mason Square
SciTech Campus (Prince William) • •
Nexus234 Innovation District Northern Virginia International Soft Landing Accelerator (NISA)
Global Recognition University Partners
09