The 2025 K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC), South Korea’s premier startup acceleration program, hosted its highly anticipated showcase event on September 3-4 at the Jeju International Convention Center. This year, the event brought together 40 finalist startups, chosen from an impressive pool of 2,626 applicants worldwide, along with domestic support companies and more than 25 international investors.
Held in conjunction with the 31st APEC SME Ministerial Meeting, the showcase featured “Global Startup Day in Jeju.” This key event created a valuable space for innovative startups, Korean startup ecosystem leaders, policymakers, and foreign investors to connect and collaborate. Participating startups had the opportunity to present their business models to potential investors, share their experiences of settling in Korea, and attend sessions focused on inbound support programs and investment strategies.
The event highlighted a diverse range of companies and solutions. Former participants, including Singapore’s Polymerize (an AI-based chemical and material information platform), Thailand’s Tasted Better (which developed low-glycemic flour for blood sugar control), and France’s KFTV (an AI-based Hallyu export platform), provided valuable insights on navigating Korea’s business environment.
In an exhibition that allowed attendees to experience innovative products firsthand, four leading companies showcased their solutions. Thailand’s Tasted Better presented low-glycemic flour, France’s BBalance displayed a smart healthcare mat, Taiwan’s Bion featured an AI-based food allergy sensor, and Spain’s Digital Human demonstrated an AI meta-human solution.
Launched in 2016, the K-Startup Grand Challenge is Korea’s largest international startup competition. Selected participants are offered a program to explore the Korean market and receive support for settling in the country. Additionally, top-performing companies at the COMEUP demo day held in December can win prize money of up to KRW 100 million.
