25 Korean firms join North America's largest startup showcase

About 780 one-on-one meetings arranged over three days

All 25 companies pitch to local investors

The Korea Pavilion at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco. [KOTRA]
The Korea Pavilion at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026 in San Francisco. [KOTRA]

Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) announced Thursday that it is operating a Korea Pavilion at TechCrunch Disrupt 2026, held Tuesday through Thursday (local time) at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, together with the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund, the Korea Tourism Organization, Seoul AI Hub and the city of Gimhae.

TechCrunch Disrupt is North America's largest startup event and ranks among the world's four premier startup conferences alongside Slush in Finland, Web Summit in Portugal and Viva Technology in France. This year, more than 10,000 startup founders, venture capitalists and business leaders from over 40 countries attended, with more than 300 startups exhibiting.

The Korea Pavilion brought together 25 startups spanning physical AI, AI healthcare, computer vision, robotics and content technology. The companies showcased a wide range of innovations — from AI-integrated manufacturing and AI-powered medical and health management platforms to digital twins and climate technology.

KOTRA said it invested considerable effort in tailored preparation for each company before the exhibition opened, aiming to convert global interest into concrete technology partnerships, exports and investment. Starting in September, KOTRA worked with local experts to provide pitch coaching and consultations with venture investors and entrepreneurs, sharpening the companies' ability to present business proposals to overseas investors and firms. During the exhibition, KOTRA's Silicon Valley trade office analyzed attendees' affiliations and areas of interest to arrange about 780 one-on-one meetings for participating companies over the three days.

Building on those efforts, all 25 companies took the stage at the exhibition's pitching stage on Tuesday to present investment pitches to about 100 local investors and others. Buzz&B, which operates "Bling" — a platform that uses AI to analyze brand and product mentions in YouTube videos and gauge consumer reactions to help companies shape their marketing strategies — was also selected for TechCrunch's "Startup Battlefield 200," a global competition for promising early-stage startups, earning the company a separate presentation slot.

On Wednesday, a side program titled "Korea-US Startup & Investor Networking" brought together the 25 Korean companies and about 100 local investors, entrepreneurs and corporate representatives for one-minute company introductions and networking.

"At a time when AI is reshaping global industry trends, K-startups have come together as 'Team Korea' on the world's premier startup stage," said Kang Sang-yeop, KOTRA executive vice president and head of the SME and mid-sized enterprise division. "We will do our utmost to leverage our local network to provide follow-up support so that our companies, which drew attention for their innovative technologies on the ground, can generate diverse business results."


eyre@heraldcorp.com