Korea Startup Forum Successfully Hosts 'The PITCH' for Early-Stage Startup Investment

A practical platform for growth has been established for early-stage startups. The Korea Startup Forum successfully hosted 'The PITCH,' an innovative IR program, on the 20th at the Global Startup Center in Gangnam, Seoul. This event was planned to provide promising early-stage startups with practical IR experience and investor networking opportunities, and to foster active exchange between entrepreneurs and ecosystem experts. Following a rigorous pre-screening process targeting member companies that have attracted early-stage investment from Seed to Pre-A rounds, eight innovative startups had the honor of taking the main pitching stage. With prominent experts such as Korea Startup Forum Chairman Han Sang-woo and Korea Angel Investment Association Chairman Cho Min-sik participating as judges, eight startups representing diverse industrial sectors, including healthcare, food tech, and AI platforms, showcased their outstanding technology and business models. Greenish, developing infertility treatments; Deepplant, an AI-based meat deep-aging technology; SMIM, a global fandom commerce platform; and TissenBioPharm, a leading cultivated meat company, were among these protagonists, proving their growth potential under the sharp evaluation of the judging panel. Notably, the 'Elevator Pitching' session, which offered more startups the opportunity to gain practical know-how in attracting investment beyond the main stage, received a great response. In this open session, held across five VC zones, 18 startups delivered a 3-minute pitch, followed by 10 minutes of intensive mentoring and in-depth feedback from active VC mentors (including Ahn Joon-hyun, Director at KAIST Startup Investment, and Lee Soo-bin, Investment Manager at FuturePlay), thereby strengthening their investment attraction capabilities. Approximately 40 participants actively engaged in networking on-site. The highlight of the event was the 'Global Open Mic Session' featuring companies residing at the Global Startup Center. Three global startup teams, including food tech company Koralo and AI solution provider Anzaetek, explored opportunities for entering the Korean market and collaborating with domestic companies, introducing their core technologies and business models. After fierce competition, TissenBioPharm, a leader in cultivated meat market innovation, emerged as the final winner, receiving a prize of 5 million won and promotional support including media interviews. Han Won-il, CEO of TissenBioPharm, expressed his anticipation, stating, "This award will be a great help in attracting future investment." In the networking session held after the pitching, participating companies and stakeholders freely exchanged ideas and explored points of cooperation. Han Sang-woo, Chairman of the Korea Startup Forum, emphasized, "This 'The PITCH' focused not just on simple pitching, but on directly connecting investors with startups and strengthening practical capabilities." He added, "We will develop this into a core program of the Korea Startup Forum in the future, and continue to do our best to enhance the value of startups and spread innovation."