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Two individuals, Myung Seung-eun, CEO of Venture Square, and Hong Jong-cheol, CEO of Infobank iXcel, have submitted their candidacies for the next president of the Association of Early-stage Investment Accelerators (AC Association). The AC Association will elect its new president through a vote among its full members.
According to relevant industry sources on the 22nd, the AC Association conducted a recruitment campaign for presidential candidates from last month (August) until yesterday (the 22nd). Two individuals, Myeong (CEO) and Hong (CEO), have registered as candidates.
The AC Association was established in 2024 through the merger of the Korea Accelerator Association and the Korea Early-stage Investment Institutional Investor Association. In addition to ACs and VCs (Venture Capital firms), members include Creative Economy Innovation Centers, Technology Holding Companies, and Busan-based institutional investors. As of this month, there are 304 member companies.
At its founding, the AC Association recognized the contributions of merging two institutional investor groups and allowed Jeon Hwa-seong, CEO of CNT Tech, who had served as the fourth president of the former Korea Accelerator Association, to continue in the role. In 2025, the board of directors approved a one-year extension for President Jeon, extending his term until February 2027.
Both Myeong (CEO) and Hong (CEO), who have registered as candidates this time, are currently serving as vice presidents of the AC Association.
Born in 1973, Myeong (CEO) holds a bachelor's degree in Journalism and Broadcasting from Hanyang University and a master's degree from the Graduate School of Media and Information Studies. After working as a journalist at Monthly Aha! PC, ZDNet Korea, and Maeil Business Newspaper (MK) Internet, he founded Venture Square in 2014, an AC and media outlet.
Born in 1971, __NAME_1__ also holds a bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering from Hanyang University and a master's degree from the Graduate School of Environmental Science. After working at Saman Technical Construction and BizModel LINE, he joined Infobank in 2011 and has served as CEO of iXcel, Infobank's investment division, since 2015.
The AC Association will finalize the two candidates through a recommendation committee and board approval process. Following this, it plans to hold an assembly for full members as early as next month (October) to conduct primary elections and elect the new president.
[MoneyToday Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]
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