Government of South Korea to Support Super-Gap AI Startups’ Expansion in Silicon Valley

[Financial News] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 9th that it held a roundtable on the 8th (local time) in San Francisco, United States, with innovative artificial intelligence (AI) startups to discuss ways to support their global expansion and identify new policy tasks.
The roundtable was held for seven domestic AI startups that are taking part in the Super-Gap Startup Global IR Roadshow in Silicon Valley, hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS). The aim was to listen to the challenges they face in entering global markets, capture policy needs felt on the ground, and use them to better support the global growth of AI startups.
The session opened with a presentation by Je-pil Kim, CEO of AIDALL, outlining the company’s global expansion plans. Discussions then focused on policy tasks raised by participants, including one-stop support measures for entering overseas markets, expanding Research and Development (R&D) programs for deep-tech startups, and establishing a dedicated investment consultative body led by global venture capital (VC) and Corporate Venture Capital (CVC) firms.
Since 2023, MSS has been organizing a global investor relations event each year in global innovation hubs such as Silicon Valley, targeting super-gap deep-tech startups in emerging sectors including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and System Semiconductor. This year, 20 super-gap startups are taking part, along with six outstanding Tech Incubator Program for Startup (TIPS) companies.
This global investor relations event is being held on the 9th (local time) at the Plug and Play Tech Center in the United States.
The program will open with a keynote speech by David Parekh, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SRI International (SRI). It will be followed by reverse pitching sessions by global VC and CVC firms and six U.S. state governments, IR pitches by super-gap and TIPS companies, and a panel discussion on the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem.
More than 100 investors are expected to attend, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) and other global corporations, U.S. state governments, overseas VC and CVC firms, accelerator (AC) organizations, and technology transfer agents. They will hear IR pitches from Korean deep-tech startups and engage in networking.
“For AI startups to grow, it is essential that they secure demand and attract investment in global markets,” said No Yongseok, First Vice Minister of MSS. “We will actively reflect the suggestions raised on the ground in our policies and support Korean AI startups so they can grow into global unicorns,” he added.
honestly82@fnnews.com Kim Hyun-cheol Reporter