KOTRA Introduces 20 Companies and Operates 'Korea Pavilion' at Largest US Startup Conference

by Moon Chaeseok

Published 18 Oct.2022 14:59(KST)

'TechCrunch Disrupt' Korea Pavilion to be Held from 18th to 20th

Yoo Jung-yeol, President of KOTRA. (Photo by KOTRA)

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] KOTRA has decided to fully commit to opening the path for 20 Korean startups, including AI learning program developers, to enter the U.S. market in San Francisco.

On the 18th, KOTRA announced that together with the Korea Information Technology Research Institute and AI Yangjae Hub, it will organize a Korean Pavilion introducing 20 domestic startups at 'TechCrunch Disrupt,' the largest North American startup conference held in San Francisco. The conference will take place over three days from the 18th to the 20th (local time).

The conference, themed "Today's Stage for Tomorrow's Leaders," will be held in person for the first time in three years since 2019. Unlike typical exhibitions and conferences, it focuses on pitching and networking events.

During the first 'Live Pitch Session' held that day, 7 out of 15 startups selected through a pre-mentoring program will showcase technology pitches in fields such as deep tech, machine learning, semiconductors, and food tech.

In the second session, 8 startups will introduce related domestic technologies in robotics, AI, SaaS (Software as a Service), and NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens).

On the final day, KOTRA and AI Yangjae Hub will host a networking reception for about 150 domestic startups, local investors, and related organizations to support local marketing and investment attraction activities for participating startups.

Since last month, KOTRA has been running online one-on-one mentoring programs to improve the English pitching skills of participating startups, review funding strategies, and verify product-market fit. For this, experts from Silicon Valley in the U.S. were invited.

Additionally, KOTRA will actively promote the '2030 Busan World Expo.' It will support the Expo bid by distributing brochures to key officials from major local institutions, global companies, and venture capital (VC) attendees.

Yoo Jung-yeol, President of KOTRA, said, "TechCrunch is a great opportunity for startups hoping to enter the U.S. market to find suitable local partners and build their reputation. We will continue to actively support innovative startups to enter overseas markets through famous international startup conferences."