The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Oh Young-joo, hereinafter referred to as the Ministry of SMEs and Startups) announced on the 10th (local time) that the 'UKF 82 Startup Summit 2025' held in Silicon Valley, USA was held successfully.
This year's 'UKF 82 Startup Summit 2025' was hosted by UKF, a private organization of Korean venture capitalists and startups in the U.S., and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups supported the hosting of the event and participation of domestic startups in IR, cooperating as a sponsor.
As the name '82 Startups' suggests, which is derived from '82', the country phone number of Korea, it is a group created for Korean venture capitalists and startups in the US to cooperate with each other. The group, which started small in 2018, has rapidly grown to 1,500 members and has grown into a network representing Korean ventures and startups in the US, and has held the '82 Startup Summit', the largest Korean startup event in the US, every year.
Last year (October 24), the UKF (Korean Entrepreneurs' Federation), which connects the entire United States including '82 Startups', was officially launched as a corporation, and the existing '82 Startup Summit' event was held this year under the name of 'UKF 82 Startup Summit'.
The event consisted of a startup investment attraction briefing (IR), a networking lunch/dinner, lectures by key speakers, and a global market entry strategy briefing.
On the first day of the event on January 10, an IR for attracting investment from Korean startups was held. Five startups selected by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups’ global investment attraction platform ‘K-Global Star’ participated in the IR, and actively engaged in investment attraction activities in front of Korean investors from all over the U.S. The five participating startups showcased the excellent technological prowess of Korean startups in cutting-edge fields such as semiconductors, AI, ICT, and bio/healthcare.
Kim Sung-seop, Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups, who attended the event to encourage Korean investors and startups, said in his congratulatory remarks, “It is very meaningful that the Korean Entrepreneurs’ Association UKF was organized spontaneously in the private sector and has grown into a network of over 1,500 people. Starting with today’s event, the SMEs and Startups Ministry will continue to cooperate with UKF to support K-startups’ advancement into the U.S.”
In addition, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups stated, “While actively supporting the activities of Korean entrepreneurs and venture investors in the U.S., including UKF, we will also play a role in activating the Korean venture and startup network and connecting it with the global investment network in major countries around the world, starting with the U.S., including Asia and Europe.”
Meanwhile, after attending the 'UKF 82 Startup 2025' event, Vice Minister Kim Sung-seop visited the candidate site for the K-Venture and Startup Comprehensive Support Office scheduled to open in Silicon Valley this year, inspected the preparations, and presided over a meeting with local Korean venture capitalists and startup representatives to discuss K-startups' US expansion strategies and investment attraction.
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