The Incheon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation(Incheon CCEI) announced on October 25 that five Korean startups achieved unprecedented success at the 6th Golden Panda Innovation and Entrepreneurship Global Competition held in Chengdu, China.

Hosted by the Chengdu Gaoxin District, the Golden Panda Competition is an international contest that attracts thousands of innovative startups globally. This year, nearly 9,000 startups from regions including Korea, the USA, Europe, Southeast Asia, and China participated, with 200 advancing to the semi-finals and finals. The competition rewards the top 10 companies in three categories with a total of 600 million KRW in prize money and additional benefits such as residency in Chengdu Gaoxin District.

This year marked the first time the Incheon Center co-organized the East Asia regional preliminaries in partnership with Chengdu Gaoxin District, utilizing a network established with Chengdu since 2016. Out of the Korean startups that competed in Chengdu, ten made it through a rigorous selection process, and five went on to win awards.

NanoMediPharm was a standout, securing third place in the advanced biotechnology category for its innovative drug delivery technologies for cancer diagnosis and treatment, earning recognition alongside global pharmaceutical leaders. Other awardees included 10km.ai, which provides an AI-based service that automatically converts documents into videos; Rexolution, which offers an AI solution for automating PCB inspections; and VS Pharmtech, recognized for its radiation therapy enhancer.

Han-Seob Lee, Director of the Center, stated, “Our partnership with Chengdu has opened doors for Korean startups to demonstrate their excellence on a global platform. We are committed to providing continued support to help these winners successfully penetrate the Chinese market.” He further emphasized the center’s dedication to fostering more global success stories in the coming year.

Additionally, the Incheon Center maintains active exchanges with other major Chinese regions such as Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen, and is expanding its global outreach to include programs in the USA, Singapore, and Vietnam.