UFK 82 Startup Summit 2025 Held
- Division
- Spokesperson's Office
- Date
- 2025.01.14
- Writer
- MSS
- Headline
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 14, 2025
UFK 82 Startup Summit 2025 Held
SEJONG – The ‘UKF 82 Startup Summit 2025’ was successfully held on January 10 (local time) in Silicon Valley, U.S. The event was organized by United Korean Founders (UKF), a private organization that brings together Korean venture investors and startups in the U.S., with support from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), which assisted in hosting the event and facilitating the participation of domestic startups in investor relations (IR) pitches.
As the name ‘82 Startup’ suggests, the summit was created based on the country code ‘82’ for South Korea, aiming to foster collaboration between Korean venture investors and startups in the U.S. This gathering began on a small scale in 2018 but has rapidly expanded to nearly 1,500 members, growing into a representative network for Korean startups in the U.S. It has hosted the ‘82 Startup Summit,’ the largest event for Korean startups in the U.S., annually.
In October 2024, UKF, which connects various regions across the U.S., officially launched as a corporate entity, leading to the rebranding of the existing ‘82 Startup Summit’ to ‘UKF 82 Startup Summit’ for the 2025 event.
The event comprised startup IR presentations, networking luncheons and dinners, keynote speeches, and sessions on global market entry strategies. On the first day, January 10, the IR for Korean startups was held, featuring five startups selected through the MSS global investment platform, ‘K-Global Star.’ These startups actively engaged in investment pitching in front of Korean investors from across the U.S. The participating five startups showcased the exceptional technological capabilities of Korean startups in advanced fields such as semiconductors, AI, ICT, and bio-healthcare.
Vice Minister KIM Sung-sup of SMEs and Startups, who attended to encourage the Korean investors and startups, expressed in his congratulatory speech, “The fact that UKF has autonomously organized itself and grown into a network of over 1,500 members holds significant meaning. Taking today’s event as a starting point, the MSS will continue to cooperate with UKF to support the entry of K-startups into the U.S. market.”
He also stated, “MSS will actively support the activities of Korean founders and venture investors in the U.S., including UKF, while facilitating the activation of Korean startup networks in major countries around the world, including Asia and Europe, starting from the U.S., and helping them connect with global investment networks.”
After attending the ‘UKF 82 Startup Summit 2025’ event, Vice Minister KIM visited potential locations for the Comprehensive Support Office for K-startups, set to open in Silicon Valley in 2025, to review the preparation status. He chaired a meeting with representatives from local Korean startups to discuss strategies for K-startups’ entry into the U.S. market and investment attraction.
Jan. 14, 2025
UFK 82 Startup Summit 2025 Held
SEJONG – The ‘UKF 82 Startup Summit 2025’ was successfully held on January 10 (local time) in Silicon Valley, U.S. The event was organized by United Korean Founders (UKF), a private organization that brings together Korean venture investors and startups in the U.S., with support from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), which assisted in hosting the event and facilitating the participation of domestic startups in investor relations (IR) pitches.
As the name ‘82 Startup’ suggests, the summit was created based on the country code ‘82’ for South Korea, aiming to foster collaboration between Korean venture investors and startups in the U.S. This gathering began on a small scale in 2018 but has rapidly expanded to nearly 1,500 members, growing into a representative network for Korean startups in the U.S. It has hosted the ‘82 Startup Summit,’ the largest event for Korean startups in the U.S., annually.
In October 2024, UKF, which connects various regions across the U.S., officially launched as a corporate entity, leading to the rebranding of the existing ‘82 Startup Summit’ to ‘UKF 82 Startup Summit’ for the 2025 event.
The event comprised startup IR presentations, networking luncheons and dinners, keynote speeches, and sessions on global market entry strategies. On the first day, January 10, the IR for Korean startups was held, featuring five startups selected through the MSS global investment platform, ‘K-Global Star.’ These startups actively engaged in investment pitching in front of Korean investors from across the U.S. The participating five startups showcased the exceptional technological capabilities of Korean startups in advanced fields such as semiconductors, AI, ICT, and bio-healthcare.
Vice Minister KIM Sung-sup of SMEs and Startups, who attended to encourage the Korean investors and startups, expressed in his congratulatory speech, “The fact that UKF has autonomously organized itself and grown into a network of over 1,500 members holds significant meaning. Taking today’s event as a starting point, the MSS will continue to cooperate with UKF to support the entry of K-startups into the U.S. market.”
He also stated, “MSS will actively support the activities of Korean founders and venture investors in the U.S., including UKF, while facilitating the activation of Korean startup networks in major countries around the world, including Asia and Europe, starting from the U.S., and helping them connect with global investment networks.”
After attending the ‘UKF 82 Startup Summit 2025’ event, Vice Minister KIM visited potential locations for the Comprehensive Support Office for K-startups, set to open in Silicon Valley in 2025, to review the preparation status. He chaired a meeting with representatives from local Korean startups to discuss strategies for K-startups’ entry into the U.S. market and investment attraction.