Global startup event Come Up 2023, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and managed by the Korea Startup Forum (KSF), will be held for three days from Nov. 8 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) in Seoul.
Minister Lee Young emphasized that this event aims to globalize and serve as a growth platform for startups during a media day related to Come Up 2023.
Come Up is a festival that introduces South Korea’s excellent startup ecosystem to the world and interacts with the global startup ecosystem. It began in 2019 and is now in its fifth year.
Minister Lee said, “In August, we announced the ‘Korea Startup Strategy,’ aiming for global startup leadership without being confined to national boundaries. This Come Up aims to yield significant results as a platform. Expanding global reach is essential.”
Representatives from 28 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, the U.S., France, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Indonesia, and Uganda, will participate in this Come Up. A special global community zone will be set up for foreign participating companies. The community zone will comprise 180 delegates from Saudi Arabia, a national pavilion from the UAE, and company booths from countries such as France, Germany, and Switzerland. Opportunities for global open innovation have also been enhanced.
Minister Lee added, “We will conduct the K-Global Cluster with Come Up program for global open innovation. Global companies like UL, L'Oréal, and Benz are participating.” He also mentioned OpenAI, a leading global AI company, saying, “OpenAI couldn’t attend Come Up this year, but we plan to select companies for OpenAI’s open innovation program soon.”
Regarding the role as a startup growth platform, a new Come Up Stars program has been introduced, aiming to discover and nurture early-stage startups. For this Come Up Stars, a total of 960 companies applied, and through public competition and investor recommendations, 150 companies were selected.
KSF’s representative Choi Seong-jin stated, “The goal is to make Come Up not just a one-time event but a platform for startup growth.” He added, “We’ve conducted accelerations for Come Up Stars selected in the first half of the year by matching them with prominent domestic venture capital firms. It’s interesting to see which VC-nurtured startup will win in the finals.”
Choi also said, “Post-event business matching support is also provided for Come Up Stars. A total of 210 business matches have been established in advance,” adding, “Currently, 1,100 domestic and international startups and 200 investors are registered on the platform.”