Seoul's first integrated pavilion at VivaTech Paris debuts with 20 innovative startups; 'Seoul Night' networking event to draw 70-plus local investors and media
The Seoul Business Agency (SBA), led by CEO Kim Hyun-woo, will participate in VivaTech 2026 — Europe's largest startup and technology exhibition — at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles from June 17 to 20, supporting Seoul's promising startups in expanding their global business reach.
The Seoul Pavilion marks the first time the Seoul Metropolitan Government has established an integrated pavilion at VivaTech, aimed at securing a foothold for Seoul startups entering the European market and accelerating their global growth.
Working in close collaboration with the Seoul AI Hub, SBA has selected 20 promising Seoul-based companies in cutting-edge fields including AI and robotics. The pavilion will occupy 205.5 square meters in Pavilion 7 (Hall 7.2, Booth 2H31), one of the exhibition's prime zones.
SBA will run a concentrated lineup of business programs — including "Seoul Night," a networking event bringing together local investors and media — to help participating companies secure global business opportunities.
The evening before the exhibition opens, on June 16, SBA will host "SEOUL NIGHT in Paris," a premium business networking event for 70 guests at the Mercure Hotel Paris Porte De Versailles Expo, located near the VivaTech venue.
The event will bring together around 40 representatives from Seoul Pavilion companies and approximately 30 local investors, buyers and global media figures. The gathering is designed to build key local networks ahead of the exhibition and maximize the results of one-on-one buyer consultations scheduled during the show.
An interactive experience zone inside the pavilion will let visitors try the participating companies' technologies firsthand, drawing attention from global media and connecting startups to awards programs to boost their business outcomes.
Two companies will take part in the technology experience zone, offering hands-on product demonstrations to visitors.
Studio Lab (CEO Kang Sung-hoon) will showcase its AI robot photography solution, which performs real-time product analysis and composition recognition to deliver professional-quality shots — and automatically generates product detail pages — without a human photographer.
Lilycover (CEO Ahn Sun-hee) will set up a beauty-tech device experience space where ultra-precision diagnostic equipment analyzes visitors' skin data on the spot and a robot manufacturing system demonstrates the production of personalized cosmetics — an attraction expected to draw strong interest from global buyers.
All 20 Seoul Pavilion companies will compete in the VivaTech Challenge, organized by global technology firms, and the VivaTech Awards innovation competition. SBA will actively support their efforts to showcase Seoul's startup ecosystem to the world and deliver tangible business results.
On top of that, SBA will collaborate with VT News, the exhibition's official media program, to conduct on-site interviews and raise brand awareness in the local market. CommonComputer (CEO Kim Min-hyun), a Seoul Pavilion participant, has been selected for the interview. It is expected to air on VivaTech's official social media channels and local Paris television, generating marketing reach across the European market.
"We are officially launching the global business expansion of our startups by unveiling the first-ever Seoul Pavilion on Europe's biggest tech stage at VivaTech," SBA CEO Kim Hyun-woo said. "We will do our utmost to help participating companies achieve visible results through visitor-centered interactive space design, targeted networking and precise business-matching operations."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
