Summary of Research Findings

A corporate questionnaire was conducted among 122 domestic healthcare startups from October to December 2025. This survey covered their focus areas, the status of support received, and their current business management, including business outlook. This press release discloses some of the survey results.  

When asked about their primary business domain, 36.1% of respondents selected "Drug discovery (including vaccines),” the most popular response. The next three most popular responses were “Prevention” (products and services primarily aimed at preventing specific diseases, preventing severe cases, or enabling early detection), accounting for 23.8%, “Information technology (IT) or artificial intelligence (AI),” and “Medical equipment,” accounting for 23.8%, 21.3%, and 20.5%, respectively. Respondents were able to select multiple responses from a list of options.

Noteworthy Topics

Approximately 40% of Healthcare Startups Altered Their Exit Strategy

Of the 121 respondents from 122 companies, 38% answered “yes” to the question of whether they had experienced any alterations in their exit strategies since their inception. This suggests that approximately 40% of healthcare startups have changed their exit strategies. The question allowed single response. 

When asked about their current exit strategy, 115 out of 122 companies responded. The most popular response was “Initial Public Offering (IPO)” accounting for 33.0% of responses, followed by “acquisition by another company (M&A)” accounting for 25.2%.

The challenges facing startups have long been recognized, such as overreliance on IPOs. This survey revealed that healthcare startups have sought various exit strategies tailored to their business operations and environment, which led to diversification.  

Research Outline