Seoul, South Korea Dec 19, 2024 (Issuewire.com) - Korea Startup Forum (KSF, Chairman Sangwoo Han), the official organizer of the global startup festival COMEUP, announced that COMEUP 2024, held on December 11 and 12 at COEX in Seoul, successfully concluded.
Now in its 6th year, COMEUP 2024 welcomed participants from 45 countries, including startups, investors, global corporations, large enterprises, aspiring entrepreneurs, and the general public, achieving a successful finale. Under the “Innovation Beyond Borders” theme, this year’s event captured attention with diverse programs focused on global ecosystem keywords such as deep tech, inbound innovation, and sustainable innovation (SIS, Sustainable Innovation by Startup).
◆ Breaking Boundaries of Innovation with Participation from 45 Countries and 260 Startups
COMEUP 2024 hosted approximately 260 startups from 45 countries, with over half being international companies, reaffirming its status as a global festival. The keynotes over the two days drew significant interest. On December 11, Qamar Aftab, Investment Manager at Wa’ed Ventures (Saudi Aramco’s CVC), and Sunghyun Park, CEO of Rebellions, the first Korean startup to secure funding from Wa’ed Ventures, discussed “Innovation Beyond Borders” On December 12, SooJong Kim, CEO of INNOSPACE, delivered a presentation on the space age, garnering strong interest from attendees. Future Talk conference sessions further provided global insights on startup globalization strategies, overseas investment attraction, and global deep-tech trends, aligning with the key themes of COMEUP 2024.
This year’s event also saw an expansion in participation from national pavilions. The UAE, India, Japan, and Sweden showcased their technologies and achievements. At the same time, H.E ALIA AL MAZROUEI, UAE Minister of Entrepreneurship, delivered a speech on opportunities for entering the UAE market, drawing attention. Additionally, the Global Community program, which featured 120 startups from 21 countries, including Germany, Austria, Sweden, Switzerland, and South Africa, facilitated pitching sessions, exhibitions, and networking events over two days, fostering exchange and business expansion. The event also saw notable participation from international organizations such as the International Trade Center(ITC) and the Africa Development Bank(AfDB).
The Open Innovation (OI) Ground program facilitated collaboration between startups and leading companies. Global tech giants such as Microsoft, NVIDIA, Dassault Systèmes, Ensys, Siemens, L’Oréal Korea, Hyundai Motor Company, Musinsa Partners, Kyobo Life Insurance, CJ E&M, and LX Ventures shared their success stories of co-innovation with startups.
The customized matchmaking track featured sessions including:
- Ho-Chan Lee, a partner at ACVC Partners, provides strategies for global expansion and fundraising from Silicon Valley VCs.
- A joint session by the Korea Startup Forum and Korea Credit Bureau (KCB) presenting ESG guidelines for startups.
- Mini-pitching and special meetups with investment firms and GCVs (Global Corporate Venturing) from 10 countries, including the US, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.
COMEUP’s business matchmaking platform, On the COMEUP, further connected startups and investors through online and offline activities. The platform achieved approximately 1,900 successful business matches this year, nearly doubling last year’s record.
◆ Deep Tech, Inbound Innovation, and Sustainability Shape the Trends of COMEUP 2024
Future Talk sessions offered insights from global ecosystem stakeholders and experts, making them a deep-tech trend report for COMEUP 2024. Diverse sessions featured leading authorities discussing topics such as K-Space, AI semiconductors, generative AI, and autonomous driving—the newly introduced Tech Talk 15 track showcased cutting-edge technologies and products through 15-minute pitches. Participants included Seoul Robotics, Upstage, and Variowell Development, a German sleep-tech company, delivering a showcase of innovative technologies.
The public IR pitching program, Startup Valley, concluded with Toonimotion, Foretell My Health, and POSCORE as the winners of the Rookie League on December 12. These three companies earned the opportunity to participate in Viva Technology 2025 in France. Alongside them, finalists, including CUBIG, ZETIC.ai, and Tublet Korea, also garnered attention for their contributions to fields such as information security and on-device AI solutions, highlighting the growth of deep-tech startups. The Runner League also captivated the audience by featuring aspiring entrepreneurial teams and fireside pitches from selected Rocket League companies.
The theme of sustainability, a key industry agenda, resonated throughout COMEUP 2024. Programs such as Future Talk and Open Innovation, which focused on sustainable innovation (SIS, Sustainable Innovation by Startup), featured participation from GridWiz, Sopoong Ventures, SK Innovation, and Hyundai E&C, which discussed climate-tech commercialization strategies and investment trends.
The Inbound agenda, which aims to support foreign startups' innovation in Korea, also gained attention. The Startup Korea Pavilion hosted over twenty foreign startups, enabling networking with Korean startups and investors. Among them, AiMA Beyond AI, a Spanish startup developing AI-powered digital human solutions and the first recipient of the Startup Korea Special Visa, showcased its solutions, drawing significant interest.
◆ A National Celebration Engaging Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Students, and Professionals
COMEUP 2024 expanded its reach beyond startup professionals to aspiring entrepreneurs, students, and corporate employees, offering programs for a diverse audience. The Future Talk sessions featured beginner, expert, and founder tracks tailored to participants’ familiarity with the startup ecosystem, earning positive feedback from attendees.
Interactive events and networking opportunities also enhanced the experience. These included docent programs for student groups, a public idea contest via COMEUP’s social media, a mobile-friendly networking platform, and live Q&A sessions with speakers. Such initiatives reinforced COMEUP’s position as a global startup festival with broad public appeal.
Sangwoo Han, Chairman of the Korea Startup Forum (COMEUP 2024 Advisory Chair), remarked, “COMEUP 2024 has become a truly global festival where startups and investors from around the world come together to break boundaries of innovation and discuss the future. COMEUP will continue to encourage startups to rise to new challenges and serve as a hub for innovation that drives success on the global stage.”
COMEUP 2024 can be revisited through replays available on its official YouTube channel.
Media Contact
Korea Startup Forum sangha@kstartupforum.org http://kstartupforum.org
