The APEC Startup Alliance (ASTAA) was officially launched on May 22 at the Startup Venture Campus Seoul (SVC Seoul), establishing a new framework for startup ecosystem cooperation across the Asia-Pacific region. Delegations from all 21 APEC member economies, alongside global venture capitalists, accelerators, and startups, gathered for the inaugural ceremony. The event was hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) and organized in partnership with the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), Korea Venture Investment (KVIC), and Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC), drawing approximately 200 participants.
ASTAA’s launch follows last year’s APEC SME Ministerial Meeting, where South Korea introduced the Jeju Initiative to propose an APEC-wide startup cooperation framework. The inaugural ceremony transitions this concept into an active structure where both governments and the private sector participate as full members. The alliance currently includes approximately 400 institutional and private stakeholders, encompassing government agencies, accelerators, venture capital firms, startups, and startup associations across member economies, such as the Korea Startup Forum.
ASTAA is designed to connect startup ecosystems across APEC member economies and expand multilateral cooperation through dedicated channels. These functions include building networks among regional stakeholders, hosting regular forums, and establishing an online platform to share startup ecosystem information and policy best practices. The alliance will also facilitate voluntary collaboration and joint project development among private sector participants, utilizing major international events to share progress and deepen cooperation.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by the 1st ASTAA Forum, where participants discussed the direction of startup ecosystem cooperation and connectivity across APEC member economies. Concurrently, a series of practical sessions were held to support cross-border investment, partnership building, and market entry. These included a global investor relations (IR) session featuring KVIC, KISED, KOTEC, global venture capital firms, large corporates, and startups; one-on-one meetups for business partnership development; and technology value-based guarantee consultations hosted by KOTEC.
