K-Startups Lay Groundwork for European Expansion at Vivatech 2025

Korean startups achieved brilliant results at Europe's largest tech exhibition 'VivaTechnology 2025', emerging as a focal point on the global innovation stage. Under the full support of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), 26 domestic companies participating through the 'K-Startup Integrated Pavilion' conducted a total of 378 consultations, signed 4 on-site Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and 1 Letter of Intent (LoI), thus establishing a bridgehead for entry into the European market. VivaTech, celebrating its 9th anniversary this year, was held on the theme of 'A New Horizon of Innovation,' drawing over 180,000 visitors and 14,000 startups, making it the largest event ever. In particular, with the full expansion of AI technology, dedicated tracks like 'AI Avenue' were operated, clearly showcasing an AI-centric innovation trend. Over 50 national pavilions from 120 countries were set up, solidifying its status as a global startup event, and the performance of Asian countries, including Korea, was particularly prominent. KISED successfully established the integrated pavilion in cooperation with various domestic partner organizations, intensively promoting startups in advanced technology fields such as AI, climate tech, and mobility. Prior to the event, by visiting the French startup cluster 'Station F' and networking with local legal experts, practical market information and intellectual property protection strategies were provided, laying the groundwork for companies to establish themselves in Europe. The highlight was the 'K-Startup Night' event. As a result of 19 companies' enthusiastic pitching, Morphing-i signed an MoU with French and Dutch companies for international joint R&D and solution commercialization, and TooniMotion signed an LoI in recognition of its innovativeness in shortening animation production processes by 80% with AI-based technology. Ninewatt achieved a splendid accomplishment by signing an MoU with Japanese and French institutions for utilizing smart city carbon emission data and platform localization. These achievements clearly demonstrated the technological prowess of Korean startups and their potential in the global market. Yoo Jong-pil, President of KISED, confirmed the capabilities of 'K-Startups' through this VivaTech and stated that KISED would continue to fully support global expansion and local promotion to help domestic companies gain more attention at major international exhibitions. He actively promoted the strengths of the Korean startup ecosystem, including the 'Startup Korea' policy and 'COMEUP,' focusing on enhancing global recognition.