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One of the biggest startup events of South Korea, COMEUP 2020, began with a grand opening on 19th November 2020. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the event has been organized virtually, but that has not affected the event proceedings’ grandeur. The opening ceremony saw many insightful panel discussions, startup pitches, expert talks, and much more. This three day, 19-21st November, global startup festival is one of the prominent events in Asia. This year the theme has been organized under the theme “Meet the Future- Post Pandemic.”
The startups get the opportunity to expand their prospects through this event by meeting global investors, mentors, agencies, attending discussions, and more. Through this event, global companies and investors can get possible avenues for investing in global startups and the Korean startup ecosystem. Participants/attendees can join the event through YouTube, Kakao TV’s ComeUp channel, Naver TV, and the link available on www.kcomeup.com.
The government representatives, Korean experts, startup founders, and organizing committee who could attend the event offline were present at the venue with all COVID-19 protocols in place.
On 19th November, the event started with a raging dance performance that was an amalgamation of technology and human touch. An opening speech was made by the Minister of SMEs and Startups, South Korea, Park Young-Sun. She said that despite the challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event’s preparation had been done with meticulous planning and in keeping up with the fervor of this event. COMEUP 2020 will create opportunities for Korean and global startups to face the challenges during these unprecedented times.
The Minister also emphasized that the post-pandemic world will be virtual with more non-face-to-face interactions. Innovative technologies like artificial intelligence, Big Data, Blockchain will play a key role in making this paradigm shift. These technologies are already being used by big enterprises like Google, Apple, Microsoft, etc. However, if the startups want to jump to unicorn status, they will have to adapt to these technologies to develop new business models. She summed up that the essence of this ‘new era’ will be cooperation and convergence.
An announcement was also made about the Korean Government’s plan to initiate the ‘Smart Korea Fund’ for non-contact and Bio companies of six trillion Won by 2025. Besides that, foster one thousand non-contact startups to global companies.
The opening ceremony also saw greetings from Moon Jae-In, President of Republic Korea, to all the attendees received via video-message. He spoke about the country’s spirited fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and he said that because of the startups in Korea, the country was able to quickly develop diagnostic kits, mask digital inventory maps, and do coronavirus tracking. He also praised the startups in Korea that have provided remote working and learning programs. The President also named a few emerging startups that have made a difference to their economy with their innovation and technology. He also commended the global startups that will participate in the event as the 120 COMEUP STARS.
President Moon emphasized that with this event, the startup ecosystem will witness cutting-edge technologies and services, and participants will also get to hear from the master of open innovation, Professor Henry Chesbrough. Besides that, Professor who commercialized quantum technology, Jung Sang Kim, and Sophie Kim, who founded innovative online grocery delivery, will also grace the event with their speeches and many other prominent figures in the field.
There were other Global Cooperation messages received on the opening day of the event. The Minister of State for the digital transition Korea and electronic communication, France, Cedric O, also sent his greetings via video message to promise his country’s cooperation with South Korea. Besides that, the VCEO of Korean unicorn startup Woowa Brother, Bongjim Kim, also sent his congratulatory video message.
The COMEUP 2020 organizing committee’s chairperson, Sophie Kim, spoke about ‘Fresh New Ideas and COVID-19’. She emphasized the impact of the pandemic globally and at individual levels as well. Ms. Kim spoke about how startups can help the country create new technologies, raising awareness to help usher in a new non-contact digital world.
With several innovative presentations, panel discussions, pitches by global startups, and K-Startup Grand Challenge participants was a treat for all the attendees. The event’s main theme was the ongoing crisis, its impact, and the challenges it brings about to the business world.
Stay tuned for more updates on the event!