The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that it held the ‘Challenge! K-Startup 2025’ King of Kings competition at COEX in Seoul from December 10 to 12, selecting 20 final winning teams and awarding a total prize of 1.38 billion won.
‘Challenge! K-Startup’ is the largest startup competition in Korea, operated in collaboration with 10 government ministries including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. This year, a record 7,377 teams participated, achieving a competition ratio of 369 to 1. In the Startup League for companies within three years of establishment, HydroExpand won the grand prize and received 300 million won, while in the Pre-Startup League for prospective entrepreneurs, XMUT won the grand prize and received 200 million won.
HydroExpand is a company that develops high-efficiency water electrolysis stacks based on anion exchange membranes to overcome the high-cost issue of water electrolysis processes. XMUT is a team that developed a disposable ultrasound patch that replaces lead-based piezoelectric elements used in central venous catheterization ultrasound devices with eco-friendly and safe materials. Additionally, Easy Korea and VN won the top prize in the Startup League, while PROFUSIO and The Matrix won the top prize in the Pre-Startup League.
In addition to the prize money and certificates, the winning teams will receive follow-up support benefits such as preferential evaluation in startup support projects like the preliminary, initial, and leap packages in 2026. First Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok held a meeting with past winners to hear their opinions on the direction of the competition’s development and expressed his expectation that the winning teams will grow into leading innovative companies.