"The Post-Corona Era Offers Infinite Success Opportunities for Innovative Startups"

ComeUp 2020, Held Online and Non-Face-to-Face from 19th to 21st
"With Confidence in K-Quarantine, We Will Create a Global Non-Face-to-Face Startup Festival"

Minister Park Young-sun of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Kim Seul-ah, Chairperson of the ComeUp Private Organization Committee, are holding a briefing on 'ComeUp 2020' at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 3rd. Photo by Ministry of SMEs and Startups

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] “The post-COVID-19 era approaching before our eyes is providing infinite success opportunities for innovative startups.”

Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, stated this on the 3rd during the announcement of the global startup festival 'COMEUP 2020' promotion plan at the Government Seoul Office.

At the event explaining the theme and operational direction of COMEUP 2020, Minister Park said, "It is growing into an event aiming to be one of the world's top four startup festivals alongside Slush (Finland) and TechCrunch (USA)."

COMEUP 2020, held over three days from the 19th to the 21st, will be conducted as an online-centered event under the slogan "Meet The Future ? Post Pandemic."

Due to the spread of COVID-19, the domestic and international startup ecosystems have faced a significant crisis. As a result, major overseas startup events have been canceled (Spain MWC) or held on a reduced scale (Finland SLUSH, Germany IFA).

COMEUP 2020, now in its second year, was planned from the start as an online and contactless event based on confidence in the K-quarantine system demonstrated during the early spread of COVID-19.

In particular, the public-private cooperative COMEUP organizing committee, composed of 22 startup experts representing the domestic startup ecosystem, has been actively operating to prepare diverse programs for the post-COVID-19 era.

First, changes in industry and life surrounding the startup ecosystem after COVID-19 are discussed in three areas: social systems, work environments, and lifestyles. This allows startups to anticipate and prepare for the post-pandemic era from their perspective.

Twelve major academic conferences covering K-quarantine, remote work, commerce, and other fields will be organized and operated, with lectures and talks by renowned speakers leading the global startup environment broadcast live.

Speakers include Kim Seul-ah, CEO of Kurly; Kim Jeong-sang, co-founder and CTO of IonQ and professor at Duke University; and Henry Chesbrough, a professor at UC Berkeley known for open innovation, who will lecture on post-COVID-19 work environments and lifestyles.

In the K-quarantine field, CEO Cheon Jong-yoon of Seegene, a leading COVID-19 diagnostic kit company and model case, and Kim Jin-yong, head of infectious diseases at Incheon Medical Center who established the global standard for drive-thru testing, will participate.

Meanwhile, the innovative companies representing COMEUP 2020, called ‘COMEUP Stars,’ saw high competition with 1,076 companies from 89 countries applying for 120 spots, a 9:1 ratio. The K-Startup Grand Challenge, supporting foreign entrepreneurs entering and starting businesses in Korea, also recorded the highest competition ratio (44:1) since its inception with 2,648 teams from 118 countries applying.

Additionally, Korea’s representative startup support policies such as the AI Championship and K-Startup Grand Challenge will be held during COMEUP 2020. The special programs, including online investment consultations, export consultations, and networking between senior and junior entrepreneurs, are explained by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups as practical programs that help COMEUP Stars (120 companies) grow rapidly and become global startups.

Minister Park Young-sun said, “COMEUP 2020 will provide a time for innovative startups and ecosystem stakeholders worldwide to actively communicate and exchange ideas,” adding, “I hope it becomes a festival ground to share and cooperate on new economic orders and business models after COVID-19.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.