EPIKAR Selected for K-Startup Center Support Program
에피카, K-스타트업센터 지원 대상 선정
EPIKAR, a company leading the digital transformation of automotive sales and distribution, announced on the 3rd that it has been selected as a beneficiary of the government’s 2023 K-Startup Center (KSC) program.
The K-Startup Center is an initiative operated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to support the global expansion of promising Korean startups. Under the program, startups seeking to enter eight major startup ecosystems including the United States, France, and Vietnam—are connected with local accelerators and provided with support such as partnerships with local companies and access to potential investors.
Eligible startups must have been founded within the past seven years and must demonstrate either domestic or overseas investment history, or export performance in the target country.
EPIKAR was ultimately selected for the program in recognition of its efforts to drive digital transformation across every stage of the automotive sales and distribution process. The company was particularly praised for pioneering online-to-offline (O2O) services within the Korean automotive market.
Leveraging the support of the K-Startup Center, EPIKAR plans to further accelerate its expansion into Vietnam. With assistance from the Jeonbuk Center for Creative Economy & Innovation the program’s operating institution and Vietnam based VSV Capital, the company will first launch a proof-of-concept (PoC) project, applying its digital solutions in collaboration with local automotive distribution partners.
Han Bosuk, CEO of EPIKAR, stated:
“We have been consistently pursuing expansion into the U.S. and Southeast Asian markets, and we are pleased to have gained strong institutional support at this time.
With government backing, we will do our utmost to achieve meaningful results in the Vietnamese market.”
EPIKAR provides data driven digital solutions (DMS: Dealer Management Solution) across critical areas of the automotive sales process, including test drives and after-sales service (A/S). Despite advances in information and communications technology (ICT), most automotive sales operations are still conducted face-to-face. By digitizing key portions of these workflows, EPIKAR helps automakers and dealership networks reduce operating costs and enhance competitiveness.
Representative companies adopting EPIKAR’s solutions include BMW Korea and seven authorized BMW dealer groups. EPIKAR plans to expand in earnest into global markets this year, including Southeast Asia, North America, and Europe.