“Just like surfing needs waves, startups need waves to grow. And the biggest wave right now is AI,” stated Kim Min-ju, director of Storm Ventures, at the Deep Tech AI Conference: Startup-BuS Program held April 10th at the Pangyo Startup Zone.
According to Kim, the present AI revolution creates abundant opportunities for emerging businesses. “Where there is a big wave like AI, there are many potential customers, and when there is a big wave, you can find markets and customers,” she explained, highlighting how even small companies can achieve significant growth by capitalizing on AI trends.
In her speech address, Kim categorized the AI market into five distinct sectors: AI semiconductors, AI infrastructure, AI models, tools, and AI applications. She identified tools and applications as the areas offering the greatest opportunities for startups. “It’s not easy for startups to create their own AI models, but companies that leverage existing models to solve customer problems can quickly gain traction,” she noted. “We’re looking for startups to replace traditional B2B SaaS companies with AI.”
The conference featured presentations on global AI investment trends from Storm Ventures, alongside insights from industry leaders including Oracle and Microsoft on cutting-edge AI technologies and market directions. The event culminated in the inaugural Build up Strategy for Startups (BuS) Coalition IR Pitch.
The BuS program, launched in 2024 by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, aims to identify promising deep-tech startups through regional creative economy innovation centers. The initiative provides expedited support to help startups secure initial seed investment within three months, connect to the TIPS program within six months, and access follow-up investment within 12 months.
“The Startup-BuS program is an all-year-round startup program, which is differentiated from programs that close at a specific time,” explained Lim Jeong-wook, head of the Startup Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.
Regional innovation centers serve as hubs for identifying promising deep-tech startups and supporting their development through continuous investment opportunities. Each center hosts weekly IR pitches, with open applications for interested companies.
The joint IR pitching event was organized by the Gyeonggi, Gyeongnam, and Ulsan Creative Economy Innovation Centers, featuring 36 selected starups in both public and private sessions. The public unified IR showcased eight companies specializing in AI and big data solutions.
- KLCube: AI sign language translation service
- Postmath: Math content production service
- Quazar: Luxury appraisal service
- GSF Solution: Process management system
- MuseBlossom: Phishing damage prevention and detection solution
- Korea Education Partners: Comprehensive student application solution
- CareSix: Pet wearable device
- Conex: Distributed secure backup storage solution
