Google announced that it held the 'Startup AI Festival' to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the 'Google for Startups Campus' located in Samseong-dong, Seoul, and to look back on the journey it has taken with the Korean startup ecosystem over the past 10 years and discover new opportunities in the AI era.
Google for Startups Campus, which opened in 2015, is the flagship location of Google for Startups Campus, and has established itself as a physical space to support the rapidly growing Korean startup ecosystem and a gateway to the global network.
Google Startup Campus has also operated various startup support programs such as 'AI Academy' for the past 10 years, 'AI Startup School' with Seoul and Busan, etc., and has provided technology mentoring, global network connection, cloud infrastructure support, etc. In addition, as a knowledge community hub where founders, investors, developers, and experts can actively interact, it has created various opportunities in the domestic startup ecosystem based on Google's resources and network, and has actively supported domestic startups' entry into the global market.
As a result, domestic startups actively supported by Google for Startups Campus have recorded cumulative investment attraction performance of over KRW 1.4 trillion (approximately USD 1.07 billion), directly employed 5,136 people, and the total number of community members is approximately 50,000. In addition, over the past 10 years, in addition to Google’s own events, various events of the domestic startup community have been supported, and a total of approximately 2,400 diverse programs and events have been held here, establishing it as a key platform supporting the growth of the Korean startup community and global connections.
This year's 'Startup AI Festival' event, held under the theme of 'Leadership of Korean Startups in the AI Era', was attended by key figures such as Karen Fiester, Global Director, Google for Startups, Joy M. Sakurai, Deputy Chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Seoul, Republic of Korea, Lim Jeong-wook, Director of the Startup and Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Kim Kyung-hoon, President of Google Korea, and Mike Kim, General Manager of Google Startup Campus Asia Pacific, to celebrate the event.
Next, representatives from ‘Wanted Lab’ and ‘Liner’, alumni of Google Startup Campus, shared innovative cases of domestic AI startups, and a panel talk with Silicon Valley leaders on the future of AI product development and a talk session sharing global insights from major startups in the Asia-Pacific region were also held, creating an opportunity for in-depth discussions.
Within the event venue, there were networking booths where startup officials could freely interact, and domestic AI startups from the AI Academy and Google for Startups accelerator programs, such as 'AI for Pet', 'smoretalk', and 'Hudson AI', also operated exhibition booths introducing application cases utilizing Google's 'Gemini'. In addition, 'Campus Pocha', a networking program where founders, investors, and experts gathered to interact and share insights, was also held.
Karen Pfister, global director of Google for Startups Campus Seoul, said, “For the past 10 years, Google for Startups Campus Seoul has supported the launch and growth of numerous Korean entrepreneurs,” and “As AI is a core technology of the future startup ecosystem, Google’s products, people, and expertise will serve as a solid stepping stone for promising Korean entrepreneurs to succeed on the global stage.”
Lim Jeong-wook, Director of the Startup and Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, said, “I think it is very meaningful that we have maintained a close partnership with Google through the ‘Changgu’ program, which is a representative example of public-private cooperation and the unwavering support of Google Startup Campus over the past 10 years,” and “We will continue to strengthen our partnership with Google and support domestic startups, especially innovative companies in the AI field, to expand into the global market.”
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