Modu Startup Selectees: How to Use the AI Solutions and the ₩2M Card

The short version

The incubation stage of 2026 Modu Startup has begun. Selectees get a ₩2M startup activity card and AI solutions — and per the official guide, how you use both feeds directly into the Round 1 (500 selected) evaluation. Here are the two time-sensitive things to handle now. (I'm a selectee and was there in person.)

1. AI solutions — with 400+, the hard part is choosing

General-purpose AI solutions are provided, and the timeline is tight:

• Apply: by June 24 (first round)
• Use: July 1 – July 31

The catch is that there are more than 400 options. Skimming the list won't tell you what fits your idea, and the application window is short.

So we built an AI Solution Finder — search by keyword and quickly narrow down what fits (free). Instead of going through 400 one by one, start from what you actually need.

2. The ₩2M card — online payments are blocked

You get ₩2M on a Shinhan card (usable until Aug 31 after issuance). But there's a catch in the rules:

• Online PG payments (online malls, delivery apps, etc.) are blocked — you can't use it for ordinary web card checkouts.
• In-person (offline) payment works.

And the eligible categories explicitly include "outsourced work — app development, etc." (per the official spending guide). In other words, you can use this card to outsource MVP (prototype) development — as long as it's paid in person/offline, since online PG is blocked.

MVPIT accepts in-person (offline) payment. If you're planning to build an MVP with the funds, start by mapping the scope and cost with our free MVP diagnosis.

Why this matters

The official guide states it plainly — Round 1 (500) selection reflects your startup-fund usage and prototype results directly in the evaluation. So a record of spending the ₩2M actually building a prototype (MVP) becomes your next-round score. The AI solutions are likewise meant to advance your idea.

It isn't free money — it's a lens on your preparation process.

Wrapping up

In short —

• AI solutions: apply by Jun 24; narrow the 400+ fast with the finder.
• The card: online blocked, offline works, usable for outsourced MVP development.
• Both feed Round 1 → the next ~5 weeks are when a prototype makes the difference.

If you can't gauge where the real work begins or what it costs, map the scope with our free MVP diagnosis.

Related: Passing Modu Startup's idea screening — what we submitted and learned

Related: Selected for Modu Startup 2026 — the support and the full roadmap