COMEUP Stars 2026 Draws Record 621 Applicants as Korean Startups Eye Global Markets, With the US Leading at 44%

Korean startups are setting their sights beyond borders in record numbers. The COMEUP Stars 2026 program has received 621 applications—the highest in the program’s history—signaling strong appetite among local founders to test international waters.

The Korea Startup Forum (KSF), which organizes the annual COMEUP global startup festival, announced the results on July 20. COMEUP Stars is designed to help startups vet overseas markets before committing resources, connecting founders with local experts to refine go-to-market strategies tailored to each region. Selected companies receive region-specific acceleration, mentoring from on-the-ground specialists, global networking opportunities, and business matching—all aimed at reducing the trial-and-error that typically plagues early-stage international expansion.

This year KSF expanded both the scale and geographic scope of the program. The number of companies selected will rise from 20 last year to 30 this year, with five per region. The program also added Singapore and India to the existing lineup of the US, Japan, China, and Europe, bringing the total to six tracks and opening doors to high-growth markets across Southeast Asia.

Applications ran from last month through July 16 and drew 621 startups—roughly 11% more than last year’s 559. The US was by far the most popular destination, accounting for 44% of applications (271 companies), followed by Japan at 26% (163), Singapore at 15% (96), Europe at 8% (52), China at 3% (21), and India at 3% (18).

KSF said the numbers reflect more than just enthusiasm. The regional breakdown shows Korean startups are diversifying their targets beyond traditional anchors like the US and Japan, increasingly eyeing Europe, China, and India. The shift—driven by each company’s business model and growth stage—points to genuine intent and careful market selection, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach to overseas expansion.

Another notable shift this year: the program dropped all industry restrictions, allowing startups across every sector to apply and pursue growth opportunities suited to their target countries.

Among the mentoring areas applicants selected, global marketing and sales strategy ranked first at 30.8%, followed by local market-entry strategy and market understanding at 19.8%, and sharing of global expansion cases and on-the-ground business experience at 18.42%. By industry, artificial intelligence led at 17.23%, trailed closely by healthcare and bio at 17.07% and media and entertainment at 7.09%.

Following the application deadline, KSF will conduct document screening and interviews before announcing the final 30 companies on August 10. Selected startups will be grouped into cohorts of five across the six regions and receive full-scale acceleration linked to COMEUP House, which supports on-the-ground market entry.

Now in its eighth year, COMEUP will take place December 9–11 at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This year’s event aims to deepen the international standing it has built by expanding collaboration with startup ecosystems worldwide and driving tangible global investment and partnerships. The festival has also anchored programs like AroundX, which now counts 17 global partners including Mercedes-Benz and OpenAI.

Kim Jae-won, chairman of the Korea Startup Forum, said the COMEUP Stars 2026 recruitment confirmed that Korean startups view a diverse range of regions as real stages for growth. “We will help startups reduce trial and error through connections with local experts and partner networks, and validate their overseas prospects with tailored, country-specific acceleration to build a foundation for sustainable growth,” he said.