If You Loved Start-Up, These Top Best Korean Ambition Series 2025/2026

Start-Up was more than just a tech drama. It was about dreams. About proving yourself. About starting from nothing and trying to become someone. Whether you were rooting for Seo Dal-mi, Nam Do-san, or Han Ji-pyeong, one thing was clear: that hunger to succeed felt real.

If you miss the late nights, the pitch competitions, the failure, the grit, the spark — you’re not alone.

In 2025 and 2026, K-dramas are bringing back that same ambitious energy. These stories go beyond startups. They dive into business, art, law, medicine, and everything in between. But the heart is the same: young people chasing big goals — and risking everything to get there.

Here are the top best Korean ambition series of 2025/2026 that will inspire you, move you, and push you to keep going.

1. Bright Minds, Late Nights (2025) — Tech/Youth/Drama

A group of university students try to launch a mental health app from their dorm basement. They’re broke, sleep-deprived, and barely passing classes — but they believe in their idea. Think Start-Up, but scrappier and even more relatable.

2. Under Her Name (2026) — Law/Drama/Power

A woman from a tiny village fights her way through law school, then shakes up a prestigious Seoul law firm. She's brilliant, bold, and never forgets where she came from. Ambition, with bite.

3. Canvas Seoul (2025) — Art/Competition/Friendship

Set in an elite art university, this drama follows five painters battling for one global exhibition spot. It’s messy, competitive, and full of raw passion. If Start-Up inspired your drive, this one will spark your creativity.

4. Fail Forward (2026) — Entrepreneurship/Youth/Romance

Three failed business owners meet at a “second chance” incubator program. Together, they try again — and this time, they get personal. A drama that reminds you success is built on failure.

5. Midnight Shift (2025) — Medical/Youth/Drive

A first-year ER resident juggles night shifts, intense patients, and a secret research project. It’s fast, stressful, and emotional. But she wants to change the system, not just survive it. Grit and ambition in a white coat.

6. Zero Followers (2026) — Social Media/Drama/Comedy

A guy who’s failed at everything decides to become an influencer — not for fame, but to prove he can. With the help of his cynical roommate and a viral mistake, he actually might make it. Hilarious and heartfelt.

7. The Investor’s Daughter (2025) — Business/Family/Redemption

She’s the daughter of a billionaire — and she’s cut off. To prove herself, she joins a failing company and tries to turn it around. She’s never worked a day in her life. But now, she has to. A corporate redemption arc done right.

8. Built From Nothing (2026) — Construction/Drama/Inspiration

A former convict starts his own construction company after prison. No funding, no support — just raw skill and will. Every project is a fight. Every brick, a step back up. Powerful and underrated.

9. Behind the Pitch (2025) — Sports/Business/Romance

A female sports agent builds her own agency from scratch, signing underdog athletes no one believes in. She’s smart, bold, and constantly underestimated. But she’s here to win. High-energy with a romantic spark.

10. Café Next Door (2026) — Food/Startup/Community

Two best friends with opposite personalities open a neighborhood café using a failed food tech app. They start with zero customers. What follows is laughs, late-night breakdowns, and the slow build of something real.

11. Climb (2025) — Business/Thriller/Drama

A new hire at a major firm secretly plans to take over the entire company — legally. Every episode peels back a new layer of strategy, sacrifice, and ambition. Cold, smart, and absolutely gripping.

12. Make It Count (2026) — Finance/Youth/Healing

A math genius with social anxiety lands an internship at Korea’s top investment bank. She wants to prove she belongs — but more than that, she wants to matter. A warm drama about finding worth in a cutthroat world.