The largest ever ‘K-Startup Integrated Pavilion’ opens at this year’s CES

This year, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) hosted the largest-ever ‘K-Startup Integrated Pavilion’ with 127 startup companies participating.

Also, of the 461 CES Innovation Awards announced so far, 210 were won by Korean companies, of which 130 were small and medium-sized enterprises, including 125 venture and start-up companies.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on the 8th that it opened the ‘K-Startup Integrated Pavilion’ at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the world’s largest technology exhibition held in Las Vegas, USA on the 7th.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will operate the ‘K-Startup Integrated Hall’ at CES’ Eureka Park (a hall dedicated to startups) for four days from the 7th to the 10th to support the exhibition participation of excellent domestic startups and local business matching.

This integrated exhibition hall, operated in collaboration with 30 domestic startup support organizations including public institutions, local governments, universities, and large corporations, is the largest in scale ever, with 127 startups showcasing innovative technologies and products.

The number of participating organizations and companies in the integrated pavilion has increased significantly compared to last year’s CES, where 26 organizations and 91 startups participated.

Many distinguished guests attended the opening ceremony of the K-Startup Integrated Hall held on the 7th, including Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups Kim Sung-seop, who visited the site to encourage Korean SMEs and venture companies that participated in CES, Nevada Lieutenant Governor Stavros S. Anthony, Acting President of the Korea Institute for Startups and Entrepreneurship Development Choi Yeol-soo, Gyeongsangbuk-do Deputy Governor for Economic Affairs Yang Geum-hee, and Sejong City Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs Lee Seung-won.

In his opening remarks, Vice Minister Kim Sung-seop emphasized, “Korea’s startup ecosystem is world-class, with 125 venture and startup companies winning the CES Innovation Awards, which draws worldwide attention,” and added, “The Ministry of SMEs and Startups will continue to actively support innovative K-startups so that they can use CES as a springboard to advance to the global stage.”

He also encouraged the companies participating in CES by saying, “CES is the starting point where our startups’ dreams and possibilities connect with the world, and the companies here are leaders who are opening up the future of Korean technology and startup ecosystem on the global stage.”

At the awards ceremony, the Startup Promotion Center, which has been operating the ‘K-Startup Integrated Pavilion’ at CES, received a commendation from the Lieutenant Governor of Nevada, who attended the opening ceremony, in recognition of its contribution to promoting exchanges between Korean startups and the United States.

During the CES exhibition, the K-Startup Integrated Hall will showcase innovative technologies and products from domestic startups, and will also run various stage programs such as K-Startup IR pitching, local VC seminars, and global startup summits.

Meanwhile, the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the organizer, has announced 461 CES Innovation Awards in 34 categories so far, with 210 of them going to Korean companies.

Small and medium-sized enterprises won 130 innovation awards, accounting for 61.9%, of which 125 were won by venture and start-up companies.

In particular, three venture and start-up companies, including Sierra Base (smart city sector), Ghostpass (fintech sector), and Suprema AI (embedded technology sector), received the Best of Innovation Award, which is given to one company with the most innovative technology and product in each field.

Among the companies participating in the K-Startup Integrated Pavilion, 12 companies received 13 innovation awards.

Kim Song-hyun, CEO of Sierra Base, which participated in the K-Startup Integrated Pavilion and received the Best Innovation Award in the smart city category, said in his acceptance speech, “Winning the Best Innovation Award at CES this year is a recognition of our technological prowess and potential for expansion in the global market.” He continued, “We will expand our technology to the entire world, including North America and Europe, to realize sustainable infrastructure safety.”

Inquiry: Global Startup Team, Startup Policy Office, Ministry of SMEs and Startups (044-204-7662)

Editor. Hong Se-yeong