Foreign Startups… in Korea?!

Expat-founded startups get some support

Just like K-pop, K-dramas, and K-beauty, K-startups are trending. And with over a dozen unicorns and even more IPOs, people around the world are realizing that Korea is a great place to launch a startup. But what makes Korea such a promising location? Is it their highly educated and tech-savvy population? The abundance of skilled talent? Or perhaps the ultramodern infrastructure?

Seoul Global Startup Center

Whatever it is, more and more people are flocking to Seoul to start their own tech startups. So, the Seoul Metropolitan Government set up the Seoul Global Startup Center (SGSC). SGSC is a startup accelerator for non-Koreans. It provides working space, access to government grants, mentors, and a variety of educational programs to help foreign startup founders succeed. One of those programs is the SGSC IR Pitching Challenge, which prepares startups for pitching to investors. And this year, SGSC reached out to PowerPT for support.

IR Pitching Challenge

For this program, PowerPT worked with ten startups whose founders came to Korea from all over — Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America. Our pitch consultants spent several hours with each team perfecting their story and making sure their pitch was both engaging and logical. Then, our designers got to work and designed a brand new pitch deck for each team. Most of the teams at SGSC do not employ full-time designers, so they were speechless when they saw their new, professional pitch decks.

It was then time to put them on stage and give out awards to the best pitches. The top three pitches were awarded automatic qualification to pitch at the SGSC Demo Day later this month. Those startups, all female-led, were VSLB Inc., Aptive Education, and CRSP. Congratulations to all the winners! We look forward to seeing you pitch again at the 2021 SGSC Demo Day.

Need help with your pitch?

With some of the top pitch consultants and designers, PowerPT’s pitch services have helped startups wow investors and judges on stages around the world including Web Summit and Slush. Learn more by contacting startups@powerpt.co.kr.

Apply now for Korea’s #1 pitch event

Is your startup ready to pitch? Podium Star has helped over 50 startups improve their pitches and connect to global investors and accelerators. Apply now at www.podiumstar.org.