NextRise 2024, Asia’s largest startup exhibition, commenced on June 13-14 at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. In its sixth year, the event reached unprecedented scale, featuring 1,500 startups, 250 global large and mid-sized companies, venture capitalists, and startup support organizations.
This year’s NextRise centered on three key themes: open innovation, globalization, and artificial intelligence (AI). The event showcased Korean and global open innovation platforms throughout the venue, increased the number of international booths, and introduced a host country system for the first time, with Japan selected to enhance exchange opportunities with Korean companies.
NextRise 2024 provided a glimpse into the open innovation platforms of major Korean and global tech companies. LG Science Park’s Super Start and BMW’s Startup Garage displayed their nurtured startups near the entrance. Additionally, GS Energy’s GS Challenge, Mercedes-Benz’s Autobahn, and Hanwha’s Dream Plus maintained dedicated booths to introduce their fostered companies.
AI emerged as the dominant theme of the conference. The event featured various lectures and discussions exploring cutting-edge AI trends in Korea and abroad, including AI semiconductors, generative AI, and AI manufacturing. The AI concert session, showcasing Rebellions, Semifive, and Furiosa AI—three of Korea’s leading AI semiconductor startups—attracted significant attention. AI startup investment was also a focal point in the venture capital sessions.
The exhibition offered numerous opportunities to connect Korean businesses with the global market. In addition to a pitching stage for international startups, lectures were held to provide insights into startup ecosystems and investment environments across various regions, including the Middle East, Europe, and Japan.
