기사보러가기
On the 12th, Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups poses with award winners at the ‘Challenge! K-Startup 2024 Grand Final’ at COEX, Seoul. (Ministry of SMEs and Startups)
The country’s largest startup festival, ComeUp 2024, concluded Thursday at COEX in Seoul, showcasing South Korea’s most promising startups.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the winners of the “Challenge! K-Startup 2024” grand finals, selecting 20 teams to receive awards, including certificates and a total prize pool of 1.5 billion won ($1.05 million).
In the Startup League, open to companies established within the last three years, Biobricks won the grand prize, securing 300 million won. Meanwhile, in the Pre-Startup League, open to aspiring entrepreneurs, WaterTrinez claimed the top prize of 130 million won.
Biobricks specializes in developing high-value medical bio-ink materials based on extracellular matrices. The company, founded by POSTECH Professor Jang Jinah, is recognized for pioneering the world’s first corneal regeneration bio-ink, garnering attention in the regenerative medicine sector.
WaterTrinez, led by CEO Kim In-cheol, is focused on creating fluoropolymer-free water treatment filters and modules to comply with international environmental regulations. Although newly established this year, the company is already preparing for exports to Saudi Arabia.
Winning teams will also receive follow-up benefits, such as preferential evaluations for participation in next year’s government-backed startup commercialization programs.
The “Challenge! K-Startup” competition is the nation’s largest startup contest, operated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in collaboration with 10 government agencies. This year, a record 6,238 teams entered, with only 20 finalists selected after rigorous preliminary and unified main rounds, culminating in a highly competitive 312-to-1 selection ratio over 10 months.
Additionally, three startups—Toonimotion, Foretell My Health, and Poscore—were named winners of the ComeUp Stars 2024 competition, organized by the Korea Startup Forum. These teams will represent South Korea at VivaTech, a global startup festival in France, in May 2025.
Toonimotion produces short-form animations based on webtoons, while Foretell My Health offers software that analyzes genetic information in platelets to provide ovarian cancer risk assessments. Poscore, a spinoff from POSCO’s in-house venture program, recycles steel byproducts to create high-performance magnetic powders and motor cores.
This year’s ComeUp Stars 2024 IR pitching session featured fierce competition among 1,208 startups.
기사보러가기
On the 12th, Minister Oh Young-joo of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups poses with award winners at the ‘Challenge! K-Startup 2024 Grand Final’ at COEX, Seoul. (Ministry of SMEs and Startups)
The country’s largest startup festival, ComeUp 2024, concluded Thursday at COEX in Seoul, showcasing South Korea’s most promising startups.
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced the winners of the “Challenge! K-Startup 2024” grand finals, selecting 20 teams to receive awards, including certificates and a total prize pool of 1.5 billion won ($1.05 million).
In the Startup League, open to companies established within the last three years, Biobricks won the grand prize, securing 300 million won. Meanwhile, in the Pre-Startup League, open to aspiring entrepreneurs, WaterTrinez claimed the top prize of 130 million won.
Biobricks specializes in developing high-value medical bio-ink materials based on extracellular matrices. The company, founded by POSTECH Professor Jang Jinah, is recognized for pioneering the world’s first corneal regeneration bio-ink, garnering attention in the regenerative medicine sector.
WaterTrinez, led by CEO Kim In-cheol, is focused on creating fluoropolymer-free water treatment filters and modules to comply with international environmental regulations. Although newly established this year, the company is already preparing for exports to Saudi Arabia.
Winning teams will also receive follow-up benefits, such as preferential evaluations for participation in next year’s government-backed startup commercialization programs.
The “Challenge! K-Startup” competition is the nation’s largest startup contest, operated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in collaboration with 10 government agencies. This year, a record 6,238 teams entered, with only 20 finalists selected after rigorous preliminary and unified main rounds, culminating in a highly competitive 312-to-1 selection ratio over 10 months.
Additionally, three startups—Toonimotion, Foretell My Health, and Poscore—were named winners of the ComeUp Stars 2024 competition, organized by the Korea Startup Forum. These teams will represent South Korea at VivaTech, a global startup festival in France, in May 2025.
Toonimotion produces short-form animations based on webtoons, while Foretell My Health offers software that analyzes genetic information in platelets to provide ovarian cancer risk assessments. Poscore, a spinoff from POSCO’s in-house venture program, recycles steel byproducts to create high-performance magnetic powders and motor cores.
This year’s ComeUp Stars 2024 IR pitching session featured fierce competition among 1,208 startups.