Around 120 Startups from Across Korea Head to Jeju in Search of Investment and Export Channels

【Financial News, Jeju = Jeong Yong-bok, Correspondent】Around 100 region-based startups from across Korea and around 20 companies in Jeju’s strategic industries will gather in Jeju next month to attract investment and secure sales channels. A total attendance of around 3,000 is expected, including founders, domestic and international investors, and representatives of distribution companies. The event will link startups that leverage local resources with those focused on artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies.
On the 25th, Jeju Special Self-Governing Province said it would jointly host the “2026 Jeju Startup Festival” with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups from Nov. 4 to 6 at Sheraton Jeju and locations in the old downtown area of Jeju City.
The event will link the nationwide region-based startup event “1st Local Startup Festa in Jeju” with “2026 Jeju Regional Startup Festival × Startup Week (JOIN 2026),” which focuses on technology startups. The local startup event will run Nov. 4–6, and the technology startup event Nov. 5–6.
Region-based startups develop products and services by drawing on local culture, natural resources, and specialty products. Advanced-technology startups use technologies such as AI to create new products or business models. Although they operate in different fields, they face common challenges: attracting investors, developing distribution networks, and entering overseas markets.
The festival is designed to give startups the opportunity to meet investors, distribution companies, and overseas buyers in person, explain their business potential, and explore opportunities for deals. A key question is whether investment consultations and export discussions at the event will lead to actual contracts.
The “Local Startup Festa in Jeju,” which brings together region-based startups from across Korea, is organized by the Jeju Center for Creative Economy and Innovation and the Small Enterprise and Market Service. Its main themes include brand development, revitalizing local commercial districts, and entering overseas markets.
The program will include a “Local Investment Roadshow,” where regional startups present their business models and growth plans to investors, as well as one-on-one consultations between major distribution companies and overseas buyers, and an exhibition and consultation event for export products.
JOIN 2026, organized by the Jeju Center for Creative Economy and Innovation and the Jeju Startup Association, will lead the technology startup program. It will focus on helping companies that use AI and advanced technologies attract investment, pursue technology partnerships, and enter domestic and overseas markets.

The program will include a talk by professional Go player Lee Sedol titled “The Future of AI Startups.” It will address AI’s impact on new business models and industrial structures. A discussion on technological innovation and the future development of Jeju’s startup ecosystem is also planned.
A startup investment pitch session featuring companies from both within and outside Jeju Province will also be held. Companies will present their technologies, business plans, and revenue models to investors. One-on-one consultations connecting individual companies with domestic and international investors will also take place.
An AI Transformation (AX) consultation program will also help businesses apply AI technology to their existing operations and work processes. The plan is to make consultations on adopting AI and improving business models available to established companies as well as technology startups.
An exhibition space will also be set up where visitors can see startups’ products and technologies firsthand. The second floor of Sheraton Jeju will host an exhibition showcasing the products and technologies of around 100 region-based startups from across Korea and around 20 companies in Jeju’s strategic industries. A separate archival exhibition will highlight changes in Jeju’s startup ecosystem and its key achievements.
The festival will create more opportunities for startups and consumers to connect in the old downtown area of Jeju City. Products from Jeju startups will be displayed at the Local Player Platform (LPP), a workspace for local founders, and temporary retail outlets known as pop-up stores will operate there.
The event separates business-to-business programs, where companies meet investors and distribution firms at the hotel venue, from sales and exhibition programs in the old downtown area, where they meet consumers.
The event also builds on the 2018 gathering in Jeju of regional innovation founders from across Korea, where they discussed the direction of region-based startups. This year, a nationwide local startup event and a technology startup event will be linked during the same period, with programs on investment, distribution, and entering overseas markets running alongside them.
Kang Ae-suk, director of Jeju Province’s Economic Vitality Bureau, said, “We will support Jeju’s local resources and ideas in developing into new startup opportunities, and help companies that began in the region grow into domestic and overseas markets.”

[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter