The Seoul Metropolitan Government wrapped up its flagship global startup festival, Try Everything 2026, held over two days from September 9 to September 10 at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), bringing together startups, businesses, and investors from Korea and around the world.
Seoul’s startup ecosystem has transformed into a global innovation city over the past seven years, increasing its ecosystem value by more than USD 100 billion while creating over 50,000 high-value jobs. According to Startup Genome, a global startup ecosystem evaluation organization, Seoul’s ecosystem value grew by more than USD 100 billion between 2018 and 2025, based on the combined value of startup investments and exit valuations. During the same period, the ecosystem generated more than 50,000 high-value jobs. Building on these achievements, this year’s festival showcased Seoul’s thriving startup ecosystem while fostering global collaboration and investment opportunities.
This year’s event adopted the slogan “AI Changes Everything, Now Try Everything” to support entrepreneurs and innovation in an era in which AI is reshaping industries and society. The program featured technology exhibitions, keynote speeches by global leaders, startup IR presentations, business meetups, and networking opportunities.
The festival hosted a large-scale exhibition featuring innovative companies and startups from Korea and abroad. The exhibition included booths from 80 domestic and international startups, alongside showcases from major corporations, including CJ CheilJedang (food tech, AI), Samsung Financial Networks (AI, finance, fintech), Hyundai Home Shopping (AI, marketing, lifestyle), Hyundai Motor Group Robotics Lab (mobility robots, wearable robots), Naver Cloud (AI, cloud, big data), and MegazoneCloud (AI, cloud, digital transformation), highlighting cutting-edge technologies across a wide range of industries.
The festival featured conference sessions led by experts in innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment. Global keynote speakers specializing in AI and startup innovation explored future industrial trends and the future direction of startup ecosystem development. Additional presentations and panel discussions on overseas expansion strategies and investment attraction provided practical insights for entrepreneurs and investors alike.
At this year’s Try Everything 2026, Japan-related programs stood out in particular. The Global Zone featured 18 institutions from 11 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Singapore, and Japan (Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Nagoya City), which introduced their local startup ecosystems and market-entry strategies.
The event further strengthened its meetup program, designed to facilitate investment and business partnerships for startups. Around 40 overseas investors, companies, and organizations confirmed their participation, with additional domestic and international partners joining through August. To accommodate growing demand, the number of dedicated meetup booths doubled from 15 last year to 30 this year.
Last year’s event continued its steady growth, attracting 7,729 participants, facilitating 541 on-site business meetups, and helping participating startups secure KRW 180.9 billion in investment, continuing its steady year-on-year development. This year’s festival built on that momentum, aiming to further increase business matchings and investment deals.
During the “Seoul–Tokyo Bridge: Korea–Japan Market Entry Strategy” panel discussion held on September 9 at DDP, Kiyoko Hashiba, Director of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, emphasized, “What moves quickly in Korea can take longer in Japan, but the trust built through that process can lead to even stronger relationships.” Director Hashiba explained that the key to entering the Japanese market is not a single meeting but repeated relationship-building, highlighting the importance of continuous engagement with the local community.
The event further strengthened its meetup program, designed to facilitate investment and business partnerships for startups. Around 40 overseas investors, companies, and organizations confirmed their participation, with additional domestic and international partners joining through August. To accommodate growing demand, the number of dedicated meetup booths doubled from 15 last year to 30 this year.
On September 10, seven promising startups from Korea and abroad competed in the finals of the Seoul Unicorn Challenge, the festival’s flagship startup competition. The finalists were: AutonomouS A2Z (Level 4 autonomous shuttle), EverX (AI-powered musculoskeletal rehabilitation), Ipsell (iPSC-based injectable cell therapy), Austria’s Provotive (digital platform for the packaging industry), Thailand’s RIFFAI (satellite earth observation and AI geospatial analytics), Nigeria’s Protein Capital (organic waste-to-insect protein and fertilizer circular economy), and Japan’s Green Carbon (nature-based carbon credits). The total prize pool was KRW 120 million, and winning startups will receive the Seoul Mayor’s Award along with follow-on growth opportunities, including linkage to the Seoul Startup Hub.
