AICA secures 55 business matches
Fifty-five business matches have opened the door to proof-of-concept projects, pilot demonstrations, public procurement deals and joint commercialization in the AI convergence industry.
The AI Industry Convergence Agency (AICA), together with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Startup Agency, held the "2026 AI Startup Co-prosperity Meetup Day — Round 1" on Wednesday at the Eliana Hotel in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the agency announced Thursday.
The event was designed to connect AI startup technologies with the real-world needs of large corporations, mid-sized companies and public institutions, with the goal of advancing proof-of-concept projects, pilot demonstrations, joint R&D and public procurement opportunities.
About 100 representatives from AI startups, domestic and international companies — including AWS, HPE, Oracle, KT Corp and LG Electronics — as well as public institutions and research organizations attended.
Particularly notable was the adoption of a demand-driven open innovation model, in which companies and institutions first presented their specific AI technology needs and collaboration goals, and suitable startups were then matched to them — moving beyond simple technology exchanges to raise the likelihood of actual partnerships.
The event opened with "TECH Bridge," a session introducing promising AI technologies and collaboration case studies from the Korea Electronics Technology Institute (KETI), followed by "BIZ Bridge," where partner companies disclosed their commercialization needs and open innovation strategies. One-on-one business meetups between partners and startups and demand-tailored networking sessions rounded out the program.
During "BIZ Bridge," specific technology demands from industry — spanning AI infrastructure, AI agents, physical AI and digital twins — were presented to attendees.
The centerpiece one-on-one business meetups produced a total of 55 tailored matches.
AICA conducted advance demand surveys to align partner companies' technology needs with startups' existing capabilities, then supported working-level meetings between both sides to map out follow-up cooperation — including proof-of-concept projects, solution integration, joint R&D, local government pilot programs and public procurement market entry.
To translate the collaboration opportunities identified at the event into tangible business outcomes, AICA plans to provide follow-up support covering large-company-linked proof-of-concept projects, partner registration, local government infrastructure-based pilots, public procurement market entry, and mentoring on technology transfer and investment attraction.
Kwak Jae-do, acting head of AICA, said the meetup was meaningful in that it directly connected concrete AI demands from industry with the innovative technologies of leading-edge startups, and pledged to strengthen follow-up support to help AI startups open new markets and expand their reach.
sij@heraldcorp.com
