3-Day Highlights

Three Days Towards the Future, K-Startup Comeup 2025 Concludes Successfully ‘Comeup 2025,’ held from December 10th to 12th at COEX in Seoul, successfully concluded, setting records with participation from 46 countries and 3,447 business matchings. Notably, this year, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Korea Startup Forum, Korea Venture Business Association, and Korea Venture Capital Association jointly organized the event for the first time, demonstrating strengthened solidarity within the private startup ecosystem. Saudi Arabia's participation garnered the most attention. Tarek Amin, CEO of Humane, a Saudi state-owned AI company, announced concrete cooperation plans with domestic AI startups such as Rebellions and Liner, along with the opening of their Korean office in February. The complementary relationship between Korea's HBM and semiconductor manufacturing capabilities and Saudi Arabia's power and capital was emphasized, opening a new chapter for global AI cooperation. The participation of 35 companies, including Hyundai E&C and Nvidia, in open innovation also served as an opportunity to explore practical collaboration possibilities with Korean startups. Success stories of Korean startups expanding globally also shined. Bungaejangter proved its growth potential by offering services in 200 countries without requiring foreign language proficiency, while Smim and Innerbooth tackled the Chinese market, often likened to a ‘final boss’ in gaming. Robotis and RLWRLD discussed the era of ‘physical AI,’ where robots learn actions, and the opportunities for Korea's manufacturing capabilities. The stories of Choi Yong-ho, CEO of Galaxy Corporation, who achieved a 1 trillion KRW valuation, and Park Hyun-ho, CEO of Kmong, who neared 1 trillion KRW in sales after 11 failures, conveyed the message to ‘create what the market wants in unexpected ways.’ Sessions like ‘Our Parents Are Entrepreneurs,’ featuring students like Koo Yeon-hoo from Apgujeong Middle School, and the ‘Future Founders Awards’ were meaningful occasions connecting future generations to the startup ecosystem. Diverse programs such as the ‘Comeup Stars Final Pitch’ and ‘Challenge! K-Startup King of Kings’ illuminated the present and future of the startup ecosystem. Although the three-day event concluded, Comeup 2025 proved the dynamic nature of ‘startups writing new standards for the future,’ signaling the beginning of numerous collaborations, including 3,447 business matchings and the announced opening of Humane's Korean office in February.