The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook) announced that the domestic global startup festival "COMEUP 2025" officially opened on the 10th at COEX in Seoul. Held annually since 2019, COMEUP is a leading startup exchange platform for domestic and international innovative startups, investors, and global companies.
Now in its seventh year, ComeUp 2025 will run for three days from December 10th to 12th under the slogan "Recode the Future." The main themes of the event include technology, globalization, and entrepreneurship, featuring exhibitions, conferences, investor relations (IR), and open innovation programs.
Prior to the opening ceremony, Minister Han Seong-sook met with Tarek Amin, CEO of HUMAIN, a Saudi state-owned AI company. HUMAIN, an AI company established by the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) in May 2025, is making large-scale investments across all areas of AI, including next-generation data centers, AI infrastructure, and large-scale language models. The two sides discussed expanding the presence of Korean AI startups in Saudi Arabia, reviewing the establishment of HUMAIN's Korean office, and ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation in AI and deep technology.
At the opening ceremony held on the 10th, Jinwoo Kim, CEO of Liner, an AI search engine company selected as a potential unicorn this year, opened the event with a performance. ComeUp 2025 will feature startups from 46 countries, with a total of 275 companies exhibiting innovative technologies and services. Seven countries, including Saudi Arabia and India, will operate national pavilions.
Keynote speakers included Humain CEO Tarek Amin and Rebellion CEO Park Sung-hyun, who delivered keynote addresses on the topic of "Recode the Future." The conference also featured a variety of topics, including the app ecosystem, climate technology, Generation Z entrepreneurs, and stories of entrepreneurial families.
The event will feature a large number of global VCs, CVCs, and accelerators, arranging meetings with startups and aiming for over 2,000 business matches. On-site networking has also been strengthened, allowing investors to visit company booths directly without prior matching.
In addition, various related events will be held in parallel, such as the Venture and Startup Activation Award Ceremony, the OpenData X AI Challenge Opening Ceremony, the 'Challenge! K-Startup 2025' King of Kings Competition, and the K-Startup Grand Challenge Demo Day.
Minister Han Seong-sook said, “At the center of innovation are startups that take on challenges, and it is important to create a platform where diverse stakeholders can communicate,” adding, “I hope that ComeUp 2025 will serve as an opportunity to strengthen the foundation for global cooperation.”
Anyone interested in the startup ecosystem can participate in ComeUp 2025, and more information can be found on the official ComeUp website.
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