Global Startup Festival 'ComeUp 2020' Opens on the 19th: "Meeting the Future After COVID-19"

Expectations for a 'Platform of Exchange and Cooperation' Among Global Startups, Investors, and Aspiring Entrepreneurs Overcoming COVID-19

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The opening of COMEUP, Asia's premier startup festival that will introduce the Korean startup ecosystem to the world and provide overseas expansion opportunities for K-Startups, is just one day away.

On the 18th, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the COMEUP 2020 Organizing Committee announced that the global startup festival 'COMEUP 2020' will kick off with an opening ceremony on the 19th and enter a three-day grand celebration.

This year's COMEUP was planned as a platform for cooperation and discussion within the global startup ecosystem to prepare for the post-COVID-19 era, considering the fundamental changes in the global economic environment after COVID-19.

Despite the cancellation or downsizing of major overseas startup events due to the spread of COVID-19, the Ministry and the organizing committee prepared 'COMEUP 2020' as an online and non-face-to-face event from the planning stage. As a result, the event period was extended from two days to three days compared to last year, and the scale of invited speakers, panelists, and overseas lectures and discussions was expanded, establishing it as a global festival.

The opening ceremony of 'COMEUP 2020,' held at CJ ENM Ilsan Production Center on the 19th, will be conducted with strict adherence to 'COVID-19 prevention guidelines,' with only a minimal number of attendees including Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, and Kim Seul-ah, Chairperson of the COMEUP Private Organizing Committee.

The CJ ENM Ilsan Production Center, where the opening ceremony takes place, is equipped with optimal facilities and equipment necessary for online, non-face-to-face events and video production. In particular, the opening stage features a block-type Light Emitting Diode (LED) screen arrangement that utilizes all video surfaces to create a three-dimensional screen composition that stands out.

The opening performance conveys the message 'Let us wisely overcome the difficulties caused by COVID-19,' portraying the vigorous spirit of startups turning crises into opportunities in the dark post-COVID environment through ribbon dance and extended reality (XR) technology using LED screens.

At the opening ceremony, President Moon Jae-in will deliver a special video message encouraging the successful hosting of COMEUP 2020 and the challenges of startups.

Following this, Kim Seul-ah, CEO of Kurly and the COMEUP 2020 Organizing Committee Chairperson who has passionately prepared the event over the past year, will deliver the keynote speech representing the entire festival. Her speech, titled 'Fresh Ideas for Coping with COVID-19,' is expected to inspire startups worldwide.

Keynote speaker of ComeUp 2020. Photo by ComeUp homepage

The main programs of COMEUP consist of 12 academic conferences by field, seven special events including the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Championship, and side events.

The major academic conferences are organized and operated under the main theme 'Startups Meet the Post-COVID Future,' covering 12 fields that permeate the recent startup ecosystem such as K-Quarantine, remote work, and artificial intelligence. A total of 114 distinguished speakers and panelists leading the global startup environment will participate in passionate lectures and panel discussions, which will be broadcast live online.

Special roundtable discussions and lectures featuring overseas dignitaries and experts representing the startup ecosystem will also be held. Starting with a special roundtable by Mika Huttunen, CEO of Slush, on the 19th, followed by a roundtable with AI expert Professor Fei-Fei Li of Stanford University on the 20th, and a lecture by Alberto Savoy on the 21st, these events will be available daily over the three days.

Special events such as the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Championship and the K-Startup Grand Challenge, Korea's representative startup competitions, will be held simultaneously in conjunction with COMEUP 2020.

Side events, organized through cooperation among domestic related organizations, include investment and export consultations and networking between senior and junior entrepreneurs, expected to help COMEUP Stars (120 companies) grow into global startups.

Park Young-sun, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said, “COMEUP 2020 was prepared with the attitude of pioneering a leading model for global startup festivals in the post-COVID era based on the successful model and confidence of K-Quarantine. To win the ongoing battle against COVID-19, startups worldwide must unite and cooperate through COMEUP 2020, and startups will become the protagonists of the new future.”

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