"A Platform for Startup Exchange"... Ministry of SMEs and Startups Hosts 'Global Startup Day in Jeju'

Over 300 Participants Including Startups and Global VCs
"Aiming to Become the Asia-Pacific Global Startup Hub"

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on September 3 that it will host the 'Global Startup Day in Jeju' for two days starting today at the Jeju International Convention Center (ICC), in conjunction with the APEC SME Ministerial Meeting.

This event integrates three programs-'Challenge! K-Startup,' 'K-Startup Grand Challenge,' and the 'Global Venture Investment Summit'-with the goal of implementing the three main themes of the APEC Ministerial Meeting (innovative growth, sustainability, and inclusive growth) in the startup and venture field.

At the integrated opening ceremony, the program will begin with an opening ceremony featuring an artificial intelligence (AI) hologram, followed by an introduction to Korea’s startup and venture ecosystem, a lecture on the founding story by Nidhi Agrawal, the India-born co-founder of 'Hangul Snack,' and IR pitching sessions by domestic and international startups participating in Challenge! K-Startup and the Grand Challenge.

The opening ceremony of Challenge! K-Startup will include a 'Senior Startup Notes' session where previous award-winning companies share their experiences, a special lecture by Lee Seyoung, CEO of the leading generative AI company RYUTEN, and an alumni event bringing together finalist teams and previous winners. There will also be an exhibition featuring products from five previous award-winning companies.

The K-Startup Grand Challenge Showcase will bring together 40 overseas startups selected this year, alumni companies, and domestic investors. The program will include an introduction to inbound startup policies, IR presentations by three leading startup teams, sharing of settlement and growth stories in Korea by alumni companies, and a reverse IR session where domestic investment institutions explain their investment strategies to overseas startups.

The Global Venture Investment Summit, to be held on September 4, will be attended by more than 70 overseas organizations from around the world. Participants will share global economic and investment outlooks and discuss ways to expand global venture investment networks, including strengthening cooperation among global venture capital (VC) firms.

The Ministry plans to use this event to provide domestic startups with opportunities to connect to global markets and investors, to offer overseas innovative companies a bridgehead for entering and growing in Korea, and to present global investors and member countries with a vision for a sustainable and inclusive global startup ecosystem.

Han Seongsook, Minister of SMEs and Startups, said, "This event marks the starting point for connecting startups and investors and expanding the global startup and venture ecosystem," adding, "Based on cooperation with APEC member countries, we will actively support Korea's leap forward as a global startup hub."

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