Seoul Hosts CES 2025's First-Ever Cross-Border Startup Pitching Competition, Amplifying Global Startup Collaboration

• SBA restructures the Seoul Innovation Forum to focus on global startups
• Five leading countries in the worldwide startup ecosystem join forces to enhance market expansion
• Collaboration among industry-leading institutions at CES fosters synergy and strengthens startup development

SEOUL, South Korea, Jan. 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Seoul Business Agency (SBA), led by CEO Hyun Woo Kim, has made waves at CES 2025 by organizing the largest-ever Seoul Integrated Pavilion (1,040 square meters or 11,194.5 square feet) among participating Korean institutions and hosting the first-ever cross-border startup pitching competition at the event.

CES, the world's largest technology exhibition, occurs annually in Las Vegas from January 7 to January 10. The Seoul Integrated Pavilion, organized by SBA, was a collaborative effort involving three district offices (Gangnam-gu, Gwanak-gu, and Geumcheon-gu), five startup support organizations (Seoul Tourism Organization, Seoul Bio Hub, Seoul AI Hub, and Campus Town Enterprise Growth Center), and eight major Seoul-based universities, including Konkuk University, Kyung Hee University, Yonsei University, and Sogang University.

The Seoul Innovation Forum was the highlight of SBA's CES 2025 initiatives. This groundbreaking program brought together startups from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Switzerland, and the Netherlands for the first cross-border startup pitching competition in CES history. On January 8, national delegations showcased their top startups, marking an unprecedented collaboration among CES participant countries.

The main event was the cross-border IR pitching competition, where startups from the five participating nations presented their innovations on the forum stage and in their respective pavilions. E-Magy B.V. from the Netherlands won the Grand Winner award, followed by Japan's BionicM as the First Runner-Up and Korea's Apollon as the Second Runner-Up. Participants expressed gratitude for the opportunity to exchange insights across diverse cultural and technological backgrounds while reaffirming their commitment to global market expansion.

Startups participating in the competition also received opportunities to demonstrate their products and technologies to global media, earning praise for effectively showcasing their capabilities. By shifting media attention from major corporations to innovative startups, the forum addressed a common challenge at CES and positioned itself as a standout program.

Each participating nation presented its startup support programs in the subsequent cross-country collaboration session. This gathering highlighted the startup development expertise of major countries leading the global entrepreneurial ecosystem, offering a platform for knowledge exchange and deeper collaboration.

The Seoul Innovation Forum was co-organized by SBA (South Korea), JETRO (Japan), Netherlands Enterprise Agency (Netherlands), Swiss Tech (Switzerland), and Taiwan Tech Arena (Taiwan). With over 150 global media outlets in attendance, the forum reinforced its reputation as a distinguished CES event.

Hyun Woo Kim, CEO of SBA, stated, "The Seoul Innovation Forum has grown beyond a one-time event into a cornerstone for global startup networking at CES. We will continue to support participating startups in achieving sustained success through post-CES initiatives."

SOURCE Seoul Business Agency