28 ASEAN Startups Seek Investment in South Korea

Kim Jai-shin, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, delivers opening remarks at the opening ceremony of the "2026 ASEAN-Korea Startup Week" held on Oct. 20 at OnDream Society in Myeong-dong, Seoul. (Provided by the ASEAN-Korea Centre)  Twenty-eight promising startups from 10 ASEAN countries laid the groundwork for cooperation by directly exploring South Korea’s investment market and innovation ecosystem. The ASEAN-Korea Centre held the "2026 ASEAN-Korea Startup Week" in Seoul and Daegu for four days from on Oct. 20. Held annually since 2018, the event is a program designed to identify promising companies in the ASEAN region and support exchanges with domestic investors, accelerators, and corporations. The participating companies began their schedules with an opening ceremony and special lectures held on Oct. 20 at OnDream Society in Myeong-dong, Seoul. Then, for two days from on Oct. 21, they took part in the Future Innovation Tech Expo (FIX) held at EXCO in Daegu, expanding their contact with officials from related domestic industries. At the ICT Convergence Expo, which was held alongside FIX, they operated dedicated booths to showcase their respective technologies and services. In particular, through the "ASEAN-Korea Startup Demo Day," they had the opportunity to present their business models before domestic investors and receive detailed feedback from experts. The ASEAN-Korea Centre arranged one-on-one business meetings with domestic companies and investors after closely analyzing the participating firms’ business sectors and cooperation needs. On the final day of the event, on Oct. 23, participants visited the Daegu Center for Creative Economy and Innovation and Samsung Creative Campus. They directly examined South Korea’s startup support system and innovation ecosystem on site while seeking implications that could be applied to their businesses in their home countries. Kim Jai-shin, Secretary General of the ASEAN-Korea Centre, said ASEAN startups are key players driving digital transformation and sustainable growth, adding that the center will continue to expand opportunities for cooperation so that innovative companies in both regions can grow together across borders. .