The Seoul Economic Promotion Agency announced that it operated the 743㎡ Seoul Integrated Pavilion at CES 2026, held from January 6 to 9, and generated business performance more than three times that of the previous year.
During CES 2026, Seoul-based startups participating in the Seoul Pavilion won 17 Innovation Awards, including one Best of Innovation Award. They also held 1,759 business meetings with global companies and institutions and signed 30 Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) for technological cooperation. This represents a roughly 41% increase in the average number of on-site business meetings per company compared to the previous year, and the overall number of agreements more than tripled, demonstrating an expansion in both quality and quantity.
This achievement is attributed to the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency's systematic, step-by-step support program, encompassing pre-event preparation, on-site operations, and post-event coordination. Starting six months before the exhibition, the agency provided one-on-one consulting to participating companies on their innovation award prospects. At CES, the agency also supported business matching with global buyers and venture capitalists, and operated an in-house media center to facilitate global promotion and interviews. Even after the exhibition, the agency plans to continue providing follow-up support to ensure consultations and MOUs lead to actual contracts.
This year's Seoul Integrated Center was centered around the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency, with the participation of four autonomous districts (Gangnam-gu Office, Gwanak-gu Office, Guro-gu Office, and Geumcheon-gu Office), five startup support organizations (Seoul Tourism Foundation, Seoul Social Venture Hub, Seoul Fintech Lab, Seoul AI Hub, and Campus Town Growth Center), and nine universities (Konkuk University, Kyunghee University, Kwangwoon University, Sogang University, Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University, Yonsei University, Ewha Womans University, and Chung-Ang University), implementing an industry-academia-government cooperation model that was expanded from the previous year.
Notably, on the second day of the exhibition, a Global Innovation Forum was held in Seoul, with collaboration from seven countries, presenting a new model for international business cooperation and global networking. The forum was attended by the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency, as well as startup support organizations from Taiwan, Switzerland, Israel, Japan, Canada, and France. A total of 237 industry representatives from 16 countries, along with global venture capitalists and international media representatives, attended.
The forum featured an IR pitching competition featuring representative companies from each country, a panel discussion, and a networking program. The IR pitching competition resulted in First Habit, a South Korean company, being selected as the grand winner, while Taiwan's Hua Tech International and Canada's Cubic Space received the Scale-Up Award and Impact Award, respectively. The panel discussion session shared each country's startup policies, investment environments, and global expansion support strategies.
Kim Hyun-woo, CEO of the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency, evaluated the operation of the Seoul Integrated Center as the result of a step-by-step plan to create real business opportunities beyond mere exhibitions. He also stated that the Global Innovation Forum is establishing itself as a platform for promoting startups' global expansion and cooperation within the startup ecosystem across countries. He added that the agency plans to continue expanding its support to help Seoul startups achieve global success.
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