FLY ASIA 2026 closes as its biggest edition yet, drawing more than 21,000 visitors

[Financial News] FLY ASIA 2026, Busan’s largest global startup event, wrapped up successfully after two days, closing as the biggest edition in its history. The event drew 21,516 visitors over the two days and arranged a total of 1,383 investment consultations, setting a new record.
Busan City and the Busan Tech Startup Investment Agency announced on the 16th the results of their review of the event, held on the 7th and 8th at BEXCO Exhibition Center 1.

■ FLY ASIA’s first year with a new concept...focused on maritime startups
This year’s FLY ASIA centered on the theme of “the ocean,” reflecting Busan’s identity as a maritime city. The opening ceremony’s keynote address was delivered by Mark Huang, a global expert in blue-tech investment. He is a co-founder of SeaAhead, a maritime innovation platform, and an investment professional who led the establishment of GE’s global corporate venture capital arm. He has also appeared on prominent global stages for maritime innovation, including TEDx, the Sustainable Ocean Summit and the Global BlueTech Summit.
The Maritime Special Pavilion, presented in collaboration with Korea Maritime & Ocean University (KMOU), was located right by the venue entrance and caught visitors’ attention. Exhibitions by major maritime companies and startups, an experience zone, business consultations and support for proof-of-concept projects were all offered there.
The conference’s maritime sessions also featured experts in maritime investment and industry from countries including France and Singapore. Thibaut Humbert, Asia-Pacific head of ZEBOX, the innovation platform of France’s largest shipping company, CMA CGM Group, and Adrian Ho, investment director at Singapore-based maritime investment firm Motion Ventures, shared global maritime investment trends and growth strategies for maritime startups.
■ “No need to hand out business cards”: 1,383 investment meetings arranged through an app
At this year’s event, a striking number of participants carried smartphones instead of business cards. The meetup-matching app let them find investors or companies they wanted to meet and schedule meetings right away.
As a result, one-on-one investment meetups totaled 1,383. That was more than 100 above the previous year’s figure.
A total of 388 companies took part in the exhibition, more than twice the 170 that participated last year. Of these, 229 joined the “digital exhibition,” enabling them to introduce their companies and share event information with participants without setting up separate booths.

■ FLY ASIA Scale-up Champions Awards teams up with startup “World Cup”
FLY ASIA’s startup competition, the Global Scale-up Champions Awards, expanded its reach this year by partnering with Startup World Cup, one of the world’s largest startup competitions. Startup World Cup ambassador Sylvie E.S. Park visited the competition and personally presented the Busan regional preliminary winner’s trophy to CIT, the grand prize winner.
CIT, the grand prize winner, received 15 million won in prize money and a place in the Startup World Cup semifinals, which begin on the 4th of next month. The award opened a direct path for a company that started out on the Busan stage to present itself to global investors.
Across the awards, 40 companies in six tracks received prize money totaling about 546.4 million won. Among them, the B Startup Challenge provided 300 million won in investment funding to three companies, making it the event with the largest amount of funding.
■ From startups and investors to Busan’s favorite eateries...bringing the ecosystem together
Participants said one of the event’s main attractions was bringing together a wide range of people working in the field—from entrepreneurs, investors and accelerators to public institutions and overseas partners. The global pavilion, with 48 companies and organizations from 18 countries, and five conference sessions covering topics such as maritime industries and physical AI helped make that possible.
The LP-VC Forum brought together limited partners, who provide capital to venture funds, and the venture capital firms that manage those funds; 102 investment professionals attended. Notably, limited partners and fund managers—the so-called “money pipeline” for startup investment—gathered in Busan, where a total of 46 LP-VC meetups took place, exceeding initial expectations.
Another “unsung hero” that lifted the mood at the venue was a selection of Busan’s local eateries in the Blue Table Zone. Five local Busan food businesses—Hitte Roastery, Noi Noi, Gasoline House, Tart Hooligan and Moru Confectionery—took part, with some saying they added a distinctly Busan touch of enjoyment amid the busy event.
[email protected] Byun Ok-hwan Reporter