24 provincial startups, 25 investors take part; 10 firms pitch for funding with eye on overseas expansion
South Gyeongsang Province hosted the "2026 IBK Changong PLUS" event at Lotte Resort Gimhae on Tuesday to help promising local startups attract investment and energize the regional startup ecosystem.
Co-hosted by the provincial government and the Industrial Bank of Korea, and organized by the Gyeongnam Creative Economy Innovation Center and Gyeongsang National University, the event drew about 70 participants — representatives from 24 early-stage startups (Seed to Series A) based in the province and officials from 25 investment firms, including venture capital funds.
The program opened with a ceremony and an overview of the province's startup policy, followed by investor relations presentations, one-on-one investment consultations and a networking session. Ten companies took the stage for pitches — OceansBio, Arame Materials, ST Retail, N-Square, Stemden, Miraclaire, TMS Industries, ICU Corporation, 365 and Livework — presenting their core technologies and growth strategies.
Among the presenters, Miraclaire CEO Byeon Jeong-hwan said in a phone interview that the medical healthcare startup, now in its fifth year since launching in Changwon, had set its sights on global markets from the start and steadily expanded exports to Japan, Taiwan, the Middle East and Germany. "We will use this investment as a springboard to push ahead with US FDA certification and clinical trials at nine hospitals at home and abroad, accelerating our entry into overseas markets," Byeon said.
Now in its fourth edition since launching in 2023, IBK Changong PLUS has served as a genuine growth platform for provincial startups — eight participating companies have collectively raised 6.1 billion won ($4.5 million) in investment to date.
Jeon Beom-sik, head of South Gyeongsang Province's startup support division, said the province would provide follow-up assistance to ensure that the day's pitches and consultations lead to concrete investment reviews and sustained partnerships, rather than remaining a one-off event.
Meanwhile, since the launch of its ninth elected-term administration, South Gyeongsang Province has been accelerating efforts to build a business ecosystem where investment and entrepreneurship reinforce each other. The province plans to continuously expand its startup and venture funds, targeting a total investment ecosystem of 1.5 trillion won by 2030.
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