The “NextRise 2024, Seoul” startup exhibition, jointly hosted by the Korea International Trade Association(KITA) and Korea Development Bank(KDB), opened on June 13 at COEX in Gangnam, Seoul.

Now in its 6th year, NextRise is being held on its largest scale yet, featuring 1,500 domestic and international startups and 250 global corporations, mid-sized companies, venture capital firms, and startup support organizations, including LVMH, HP, Lufthansa, and Volvo.

For the first time, the event has introduced a guest country system to enhance the global reach of startups, with Japan selected as the inaugural guest country. Prominent Japanese companies such as Mitsubishi, Mizuho, Sony, and Rakuten are participating to explore exchange and business cooperation opportunities with Korean startups.

The event also offers a variety of programs to promote business and investment cooperation between startups and global investors, including showcases of innovative technologies and products, one-on-one business meetings, lectures by renowned figures, startup IR pitching sessions, recruitment briefings, and networking events.

In his congratulatory speech, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo stated, “We will fully support competitive companies in becoming global unicorns. In particular, we will focus on fostering super gap startups in ten key new industries that will lead the global market, including semiconductors, AI, and aerospace.” He added, “We will further enhance support for overcoming regulatory barriers to market entry and growth, as well as for technology development and global R&D programs.”