SEOUL, KR / ACCESS Newswire / December 19, 2025 / The K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC), Korea's largest inbound startup competition for high-potential global founders, successfully wrapped up its 2025 Demo Day on December 11 at COEX Convention & Exhibition Center in Seoul.
This year's program set a new record, attracting 2,626 applications from 97 countries. Following a multi-stage evaluation process, 80 teams advanced to Phase 1, with 40 teams selected for Phase 2 and invited to Korea. These startups received comprehensive support for entering the Korean market, including assistance with visas, business registration, and local settlement. From this group, the top eight teams were selected to take the stage at the 2025 Demo Day, where they presented their innovative solutions and business strategies in live pitching sessions. Final rankings were determined through on-site evaluations conducted during the event. The Demo Day was held within COMEUP 2025, Korea's flagship startup festival at COEX, connecting KSGC startups with global investors and industry leaders.
The Grand Prize was awarded to Konnect, which secured first place and received KRW 100 million (approximately US$66,700). Konnect is building a global authentication and payment platform addressing identity verification and payment barriers for foreign residents in Korea. Commenting on the win, the Konnect team stated that it plans to further develop the service into an integrated lifestyle platform in Korea, enabling tourists and foreign residents to seamlessly access authentication, payments, settlements, and convenience services without the limitations of borders.
Second place went to MaimHaim (USA), which won KRW 70 million (approximately US$46,700) for its unmanned operations solution leveraging IMU sensors and Zero UI technology. Pierrot Company (Canada) took third place and KRW 50 million (approximately US$33,300) with its data-driven global IT asset circulation platform.
Vice Minister Roh Yong-seok of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, who attended the event, emphasized the government's continued commitment to global entrepreneurship, stating, "We will spare no policy support to help global startups grow and succeed in Korea, and to inject new momentum into the country's innovation ecosystem."
Beyond the cash prizes, the 20 teams selected for Phase 3 of KSGC 2025, including the eight finalists who pitched on stage at Demo Day, will receive exclusive three-month follow-up support. This includes office space in Pangyo, often referred to as Korea's Silicon Valley, business matching with major Korean conglomerates, and tailored investor relations (IR) opportunities to support their successful soft landing in the Korean market.
Positioned as Korea's flagship inbound startup program, the K-Startup Grand Challenge serves as a key gateway for global founders entering Asia. In 2025, marking its 10th anniversary, the program has supported more than 1,000 international startups through structured acceleration, market-entry support, and strong connections to Korea's public and private innovation ecosystem, and continues to play a central role in strengthening Korea's global startup landscape.
Contact Information
K-Startup Grand Challenge Secretariat
Email: apply@ksgc.global
Phone: +82-31-780-9077
SOURCE: K-Startup Grand Challenge
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/business-and-professional-services/k-startup-grand-challenge-2025-demo-day-showcases-global-startup-1119587
