“COMEUP 2025 will showcase how startups are rewriting the future through deep-tech innovation, global expansion, and entrepreneurship”
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups hosted COMEUP 2025 Media Day on Thursday, 20 November, at the Seoul Global Startup Center, officially opening this year’s run-up to Korea’s signature global startup festival, COMEUP 2025, which will take place between December 10 and 12 at COEX in Seoul. Launched in 2019, COMEUP has grown into a major meeting point for founders, investors and ecosystem leaders from Korea and abroad. The 2024 edition saw participation from more than 150 overseas startups representing 45 countries – the event’s largest global showing to date.
Now entering its seventh year, COMEUP 2025 will unfold under the theme “Recode the Future.” The slogan reflects the ambition of startups to push beyond technological boundaries and reshape the future across industries and borders. This year’s program spans conferences, exhibitions, IR pitching, and open-innovation sessions organized around three core pillars: technology, globalization and entrepreneurship. Featured speakers include Tareq Amin, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s state-owned AI company Humain, and Park Sung-hyun, CEO of Rebellions.
A central feature of this year’s event is its expanded emphasis on practical collaboration and investment. COMEUP 2025 has significantly broadened its invitation list to include global VCs, CVCs and accelerators, creating direct matchmaking opportunities for promising Korean startups. One-on-one investor meetings, pre-arranged matching sessions and dedicated investor booths will support early-stage companies seeking capital. In addition, venture-investment briefings will be linked to the main program to help founders secure strategic backing.
Participation from major global companies and leading Korean corporations will also be stronger than ever. A total of 35 companies – including Mercedes-Benz, Hyundai Motor Company, NVIDIA and NHN – will join the open-innovation program, hosting exhibition booths, sharing collaboration cases, and meeting individually with startups.
International engagement has widened considerably. Building on last year’s four national pavilions, seven countries – including Saudi Arabia, India, Japan and Canada – will operate national booths in 2025. Newcomers such as Australia, Angola and Sierra Leone will also take part, with startups from each country joining exhibition events, IR sessions, conferences and networking programs throughout the festival.
COMEUP 2025 will feature a special track highlighting social-impact startups working to address global challenges. Three founders – including 60Hertz CEO Kim Jong-kyu – will share their journeys in developing innovative technologies to respond to the climate crisis. Impact-focused investors such as Sopoong Ventures and the Impact Foundation will operate on-site booths, offering consultations for social-venture teams.
To make the festival more accessible to students and general visitors, COMEUP 2025 will run an expert-led “COMEUP Docent Tour” to deepen public understanding of the startup ecosystem. A COMEUP Flea Market will allow visitors to experience and purchase B2C startup products. On the final day, student startup teams from six universities – including Seoul National University and overseas institutions – will present business ideas and join introductory entrepreneurship seminars aimed at nurturing Korea’s next generation of founders.
A range of side events will be held alongside the main festival. These include the opening ceremony of the OpenData X AI Challenge, which provides real-world testing environments for AI startups; the inter-ministerial Challenge K-Startup 2025 Grand Finale, and the 2025 K-Startup Grand Challenge Demo Day, which will spotlight leading foreign founder teams competing in Korea’s flagship global acceleration progra
