The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Han Sung-sook) announced that it held a meeting in San Francisco, USA, on the 8th (local time) with seven innovative AI startups participating in the ‘Super Gap Startup Global IR in Silicon Valley’ to discuss support measures for global expansion and new policy development. The meeting was held to listen to the global expansion plans of AI startups, gather suggestions on the difficulties and global support policies they face, and prepare related policies to help AI startups grow into global unicorns.
The meeting began with a presentation by Kim Je-pil, CEO of Aidol Co., Ltd., on global expansion plans, followed by discussions on necessary policies such as one-stop support policies for overseas market entry, expansion of R&D for deep-tech startups, and the formation of a dedicated investment council composed of global VCs and CVCs. Since 2023, the Ministry has been holding the ‘Super Gap Startup Global IR’ event annually in Silicon Valley and other locations to support the global expansion of deep-tech startups with unique technologies in new industries such as AI and system semiconductors.
This year, in addition to 20 super gap startups, six excellent TIPS companies will also participate. The event will be held on January 9th at the Plug and Play Tech Center, starting with a keynote speech by David Parekh, CEO of SRI International, followed by reverse pitching by VCs, CVCs, and six U.S. state governments including Arizona, IR pitching by super gap and TIPS companies, and a panel talk on the Silicon Valley startup ecosystem.
The event will be attended by over 100 participants, including global companies such as AWS, U.S. state governments, overseas VCs, CVCs, ACs, investors, and technology agents, who will listen to IR pitches from excellent Korean deep-tech startups and engage in networking. First Vice Minister Noh Yong-seok stated, “For AI startups to grow, securing demand and attracting investment in the global market is essential,” and added, “We will do our utmost to reflect the suggestions and ensure that domestic AI startups can grow into AI unicorns through global expansion.”