Korea Startup Forum (hereinafter referred to as KOSPO) announced on the 23rd that it held 'The PITCH', an IR program for early-stage startups, at the Global Startup Center (GSC) in Gangnam-gu, Seoul on the 20th.
'The Pitch' is a program designed to provide promising early-stage startups with real-world IR presentation opportunities and investor connections, and to promote exchanges between founders and ecosystem experts. Eight teams were selected through a preliminary screening of COSPO members from seed to pre-A stages. Approximately 40 people, including startup officials, investors, and related organizations, attended the event.
This pitching session was judged by key figures such as Chairman Han Sang-woo of COSP, Chairman Cho Min-sik of the Korea Angel Investment Association, Chairman Kang Young-jae of the Creative Economy Innovation Center Council, and Director Shin Hyang-sook of the Early-stage Investment Accelerator Association. Startups from various fields such as reproductive medicine, logistics, AI, smart cities, and bio participated in the pitching stage, and the evaluation was conducted with a focus on technological prowess and business models.
An elevator pitching session was also held. Startups that did not make it to the main stage were allowed to freely visit the five venture capital (VC) zones on site, give a three-minute presentation, and receive mentoring for 10 minutes. The mentors included judges from KAIST Venture Investment, Y&Archer, Sparklab Partners, Future Play, and Big Basin Capital, who provided advice. A total of 18 startups participated in the elevator pitching and received feedback on attracting investment.
The last session was a global open mic session, in which three GSC resident startup teams participated. They each introduced their AI, bio, and food tech-based business models and explored domestic cooperation possibilities.
The pitching session winner was Thyssen Biopharm, which develops cultured meat technology. The winning team was provided with prize money and promotional support such as media interviews. Thyssen Biopharm was highly evaluated for its communication skills and market growth potential.
The event was followed by a networking session where attendees discussed partnership and collaboration opportunities.
Chairman Han Sang-woo of COSPO said, “This program aims to enhance practical sense for attracting investment, and we will develop it into COSPO’s representative IR program in the future,” and added, “We will continue to expand various ecosystem support activities that can help startups grow.”
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