- SBA restructures the Seoul Innovation Forum to focus on global
startups
- Five leading countries in the worldwide startup ecosystem join
forces to enhance market expansion
- Collaboration among industry-leading institutions at CES
fosters synergy and strengthens startup development
SEOUL,
South Korea, Jan. 13,
2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Seoul Business Agency (SBA), led
by CEO Hyun Woo Kim, has made waves
at CES 2025 by organizing the largest-ever Seoul Integrated
Pavilion (1,040 square meters or 11,194.5 square feet) among
participating Korean institutions and hosting the first-ever
cross-border startup pitching competition at the event.
CES, the world's largest technology exhibition, occurs annually
in Las Vegas from January 7 to January 10. The Seoul Integrated
Pavilion, organized by SBA, was a collaborative effort involving
three district offices (Gangnam-gu, Gwanak-gu, and Geumcheon-gu),
five startup support organizations (Seoul Tourism Organization,
Seoul Bio Hub, Seoul AI Hub, and Campus Town Enterprise Growth
Center), and eight major Seoul-based universities, including Konkuk
University, Kyung Hee University, Yonsei
University, and Sogang University.
The Seoul Innovation Forum was the highlight of SBA's CES
2025 initiatives. This groundbreaking program brought
together startups from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland, and the
Netherlands for the first cross-border startup pitching
competition in CES history. On January
8, national delegations showcased their top startups,
marking an unprecedented collaboration among CES participant
countries.
The main event was the cross-border IR pitching competition,
where startups from the five participating nations presented their
innovations on the forum stage and in their respective pavilions.
E-Magy B.V. from the Netherlands
won the Grand Winner award, followed by Japan's BionicM as the First Runner-Up and
Korea's Apollon as the Second Runner-Up. Participants expressed
gratitude for the opportunity to exchange insights across diverse
cultural and technological backgrounds while reaffirming their
commitment to global market expansion.
Startups participating in the competition also received
opportunities to demonstrate their products and technologies to
global media, earning praise for effectively showcasing their
capabilities. By shifting media attention from major corporations
to innovative startups, the forum addressed a common challenge at
CES and positioned itself as a standout program.
Each participating nation presented its startup support programs
in the subsequent cross-country collaboration session. This
gathering highlighted the startup development expertise of major
countries leading the global entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering a
platform for knowledge exchange and deeper collaboration.
The Seoul Innovation Forum was co-organized by SBA (South Korea), JETRO (Japan), Netherlands Enterprise Agency
(Netherlands), Swiss Tech
(Switzerland), and Taiwan Tech
Arena (Taiwan). With over 150
global media outlets in attendance, the forum reinforced its
reputation as a distinguished CES event.
Hyun Woo Kim, CEO of SBA, stated,
"The Seoul Innovation Forum has grown beyond a one-time event into
a cornerstone for global startup networking at CES. We will
continue to support participating startups in achieving sustained
success through post-CES initiatives."
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SOURCE Seoul Business Agency
