Gyeonggi-do's First 'Startup Week' a Success... 14 Programs Including IR, 1,000 Attendees

The Gyeonggi-do Economic Science Promotion Agency held the '2023 Gyeonggi Startup Week' for four days from the 30th of last month to the 2nd of this month at the Seongnam Pangyo Startup Campus.

The '2023 Gyeonggi Startup Week,' hosted by Gyeonggi Province and the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency to foster a startup boom within the province, concluded successfully.

Held over four days from the 30th of last month to the 2nd of this month at the Pangyo Startup Campus in Seongnam, this event was the first-ever provincial startup week based on Gyeonggi Province’s venture and startup brand ‘Iruda,’ which embodies the goal of freely expressing and realizing the dreams of ventures and startups.

During the event, a total of 14 programs were conducted both online and offline in diverse formats, including keynote speeches, talk concerts, technology seminars, startup contests, various investment briefings (IR), and startup showcases.

At the opening ceremony on the first day, over 200 attendees including related organizations and association heads, venture and startup representatives, investors (AC/VC), startup experts, students, and residents gathered. The ceremony featured an opening address by Yeom Tae-young, Deputy Governor for Economy of Gyeonggi Province, followed by a congratulatory speech from Lee Byung-gil, Vice Chairman of the Gyeonggi Provincial Council’s Economic and Labor Committee.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Governor Yeom Tae-young stated, "To realize the vision of Gyeonggi Province’s venture and startup ecosystem, ‘Startup Heaven of Korea,’ proclaimed by Governor Kim Dong-yeon on October 12, we plan to establish the nation’s largest venture and startup innovation spaces spanning 200,000 pyeong across eight regions in the province, including Pangyo, and nurture 3,000 startups. We will spare no effort in providing full support so that many startups can truly experience ‘Opportunity Gyeonggi.’"

Following this, the keynote speech was delivered by Kim Jin-hyung, KAIST Emeritus Professor and an authority in artificial intelligence (AI). Lectures were also given by big data expert Professor Cho Sung-joon of Seoul National University and Kim Dong-hwan, CEO of FortyTwoMaru, a promising generative AI startup. Additionally, mini-lectures by AI experts on the theme ‘Technology and Human Life’ and a ‘Startup Talk Concert’ featuring various experts’ lectures and discussions were held.

On the second day, a technology seminar on artificial intelligence was held with participation from key technical experts of global companies, including Kim Sun-wook, Director of NVIDIA Korea; Kim Kyung-yoon, General Manager of Amazon Web Services (AWS); Kim Young-wook, MVP of Microsoft Korea; and Kim Ji-hyun, Vice President of SK mySUNI.

In the finals of the Gyeonggi Startup Contest that followed, 10 teams competed fiercely, with the ‘3D Motion Content Technology Idea’ winning the grand prize.

On the third day, an investment conference and Global Day were held to provide opportunities for domestic and international investment attraction and market expansion. Not only prominent domestic investors but also 15 overseas investors from eight countries participated both online and offline, showing great interest in the participating companies. As a result, MediHub Co., Ltd. and LicenTech Co., Ltd. won the grand prizes for the investment conference and Global Day, respectively.

On the final day, IR pitching and investment consultations were conducted for companies participating in the crowdfunding-linked startup support project.

Additionally, product exhibitions and demonstrations by outstanding startups such as JL Standard, an AI content-specialized startup, and Alpha Circle, a VR video solution developer, were held. Regulatory sandbox consulting, startup funding consultations, government support project lectures, and startup supporter training also attracted significant attention from visitors.

Kang Sung-cheon, Director of the Gyeonggi Economic Science Promotion Agency, emphasized, "The inaugural ‘Gyeonggi Startup Week’ served as a platform for interaction between venture and startup stakeholders and the general public, marking the first step toward realizing Gyeonggi Province’s vision of a ‘Startup Heaven.’ The agency will do its utmost to provide more growth opportunities for startups to achieve the province’s vision and goals."

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