Invest KOREA

KOTRA Operates the Korean Pavilion at the Largest Startup Conference in US on Sep 19-21
In Collaboration with POSCO, Aim to Establish Cooperative System for Win-Win Growth of Large Corporations and Startups

KOTRA operates the Korean Pavilion at TechCrunch Disrupt 2023, a startup exhibition in San Francisco, jointly with the Korea Information Technology Research Institute (KITR).

TechCrunch Disrupt is the largest startup conference in the U.S., held annually since 2011 in major cities with advanced startup ecosystems, such as San Francisco, New York, and Berlin. It comprises of ▲ Booth exhibition ▲ Conference by Industry ▲ Pitching competition ▲ Global companies-Startups networking event during September 19-21. With 15 Korean companies participating, the Korean Pavilion is the largest in scale among the six countries participating with national pavilions such as Japan and Belgium.

The Korean Pavilion is the only participating country assigned a "Live Peach" stage for two days to introduce Korean startups to potential investors such as big tech companies and venture capital (VC).

Meanwhile, in collaboration with POSCO, KOTRA presented IR pitching consulting customized for VCs and the networking reception with inviting global companies, helping participating startups make tangible achievements. .

In particular, KOTRA said that pitching consulting (ran for a month prior to the exhibition), in which currently active VCs in the field gave coaching, garnered a especially great response. About 150 global companies including Google, J.P. Morgan and big VCs participated in the networking reception, raising expectation about results.

Executive director Kim Tae-eok of POSCO said, POSCO has been identifying and investing in promising startups through the IMP (Idea Market Place) program since 2011, delivering full lifecycle support to help them grow into global unicorn companies. "By cooperating with KOTRA, we will further accelerate the globalization of IMP companies and create a venture ecosystem in which large companies and startups can grow together."

Park Sung-ho, head of KOTRA's North American region, said, "as global companies and investors have recognized the importance of preoccupying new technologies recently, the demand for partnerships with K-innovative companies has been increasing," adding, "We will fully support our innovative companies to expand in global markets through partnerships with global companies."



Source: KOTRA (2023.09.20.)