2nd World-OKTA Global Startup Competition Held:
100 Korean Startups Compete;
Large Number of Companies Hoping to Enter the U.S. Participate,
“Securing Global Networks Through World-OKTA”

The 27th World OKTA Global AI Startup Competition is underway at COEX Magok in Gangseo-gu, Seoul, on the 31st. Reporter Choi Hyuk

“What differentiates you from your competitors?” (William Morgan, Investment Manager at Inmotion Ventures)

“We are building a mobility ecosystem by bringing together scattered vertical players, ranging from car purchasing to financing, insurance, repairs, and parts.” (Cho Jun-sang, Vice President of Chabot Mobility)

Tension filled the venue at the 'Global Startup Competition' hosted by the World Federation of Korean Economic and Trade Associations (World OKTA) at COEX Magok in Seoul on the 31st. As soon as the three-minute presentations by the startups seeking investment concluded, questions poured in from global venture capital (VC) analysts from Silicon Valley, Texas, and other regions. Vice President Cho stated, "Although we have built 10 years of experience domestically, we are just taking our first steps in overseas business," adding, "We participated in the World OKTA competition to secure a network for entering the U.S. market."
 

Following the event held last October, 100 domestic and international startups submitted their applications for the second Global Startup Competition organized by World OKTA. World OKTA brought a total of 24 companies to the stage, including 6 overseas Korean startups selected through preliminary rounds and 18 domestic startups. Seven global VCs, including Inmotion Ventures, Plug and Play, and Probest Partners, participated in the judging process.
 

A large number of companies aiming to enter the global market based on their artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities participated in this competition. Twinny, a startup that developed autonomous robots used in logistics centers, announced plans to enter the U.S. market starting this year. Twinny CEO Cheon Hong-seok stated, “With robots that can be deployed without separate infrastructure, we can reduce work errors by 90% and shorten workers’ movement paths by 70%,” adding, “Based on the experience we have accumulated in Korea, we are preparing for a full-scale entry into the U.S. market this year.”
 

Participating companies presented various AI-powered solutions. Medical device startup Wis Medical introduced a sleep diagnostic patch that allows users to conveniently collect sleep data at home without visiting a hospital and analyze it using AI. The presentation by Cera, a startup developing an AI modular data center with enhanced energy efficiency using natural fiber composites backed by initial funding from NVIDIA, also caught the attention of VCs.
 

Ideas from overseas Korean startups also garnered interest. Representative examples include Oliz, which created an AI marketing tool that automatically generates promotional content based solely on accumulated information regarding user preferences or products without requiring separate command input, and Mion Forest, which developed a forest planting drone with improved accuracy powered by AI.
 

World OKTA will grant the two final winning companies the opportunity to conduct a Proof of Concept (POC) in Silicon Valley to demonstrate the feasibility of their products. World OKTA Chairman Park Jong-beom emphasized, "We plan to build a platform where not only VCs but also Korean entrepreneurs with financial resources and global networks can step forward as strategic investors (SIs), thereby paving the way for Korean youth and overseas Koreans to grow together."
 

Reporter Hwang Jung-hwan
jung@hankyung.com

Posted 2026.03.31 16:00
Updated 2026.03.31 16:03
https://www.hankyung.com/article/202603318774i