Winners Gain Investment Opportunities and Exclusive Business Support
The World Federation of Overseas Korean Traders Associations (World-OKTA) announced on Aug. 18 that it is recruiting companies to participate in the 2025 OKTA Global Startup Competition, to be held for two days from Oct. 28 to 29.
The competition, co-hosted with Incheon Metropolitan City at Songdo Convensia in Incheon, will bring together overseas Korean business leaders and global venture capitalists (VCs) and accelerators (ACs). Promising startups aiming for overseas expansion will also have the opportunity to connect with global investors.
Winners will receive awards, prize money, and various benefits including one-on-one investment consultation support, follow-up investment connections, linkage to World-OKTA’s overseas branch office program, entry into the G6 Global Trade Center in Silicon Valley, USA, and POC marketing and follow-up promotional support.
All participating companies will have the opportunity to attend online entrepreneurship education conducted by faculty from Stanford University and UC Berkeley, allowing them to experience practical lectures from world-renowned universities.
The final round of the competition will be held on Oct. 28 at the Premier Ballroom of Songdo Convensia in Incheon. From Oct. 27 to 30, the 2025 KOREA BUSINESS EXPO INCHEON, the largest festival for overseas Korean business leaders and an event supporting Korean SMEs’ entry into overseas markets, along with the 29th World Korean Business Convention, will be held concurrently.
Applications for the competition are divided into the Pre-startup League (for pre-entrepreneurs or companies within 3 years of establishment) and the Startup League (for companies over 3 years old or with investment experience). Applications can be submitted through Google Forms until Aug. 30.
Park Jong-beom, chairman of World-OKTA, said, “As the largest organization of overseas Korean business leaders with 153 branches in 73 countries worldwide, World-OKTA exerts influence across the globe. Through this competition, we will actively support promising companies to gain opportunities for global market entry and turn their dreams into reality.”