The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) said on the 29th they will take part in CES 2026 in Las Vegas from the 6th to the 9th of next month and operate the "K-startup companies pavilion."
The K-startup companies pavilion, organized by the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), marks its sixth year since first joining in 2021. This year, centered on the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), 19 public institutions and local governments, including the Cheonan Institute of Science & Technology and the Changwon Industry Promotion Agency, collaborated to create the pavilion, and 81 startup corporations will participate.
The K-startup companies pavilion will be set up at CES Eureka Park, and will further accelerate startups' overseas expansion by jointly supporting consulting, exhibition booth operations, and local networking programs.
On-site, a variety of events will be held, including "K-startup companies night," which offers exchanges with local U.S. investors, an "investment pitch event" to promote startups, and a "local investor seminar." In addition, an information booth for the special visa program inbound project for overseas startups and a promotional booth for ComeUp, Korea's flagship international startup event, will be operated to showcase Korea's startup ecosystem to the world.
To strengthen the capabilities of companies participating in CES, the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) held a pre-seminar on topics such as strategies for winning innovation awards, education on entering the U.S. market, and sharing know-how from predecessor companies. As a result, 11 of the 81 corporations participating in the pavilion won innovation awards, and among them, three won best of innovation awards.
Yoo Jong-pil, head of the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED), said, "It is meaningful that Korean startup corporations seized best of innovation awards in the United States, a battleground for technology-innovation corporations, securing a lead in the race for tech supremacy," adding, "The Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) will go beyond one-off exhibition participation to serve as a solid bridge for startups' overseas expansion so they can achieve tangible results in exports and investment attraction on the ground."