Korea Startup Accelerators and Early Stage Investors Association (K-AIA) said on the 13th it will hold the two-day "2026 Startup Investor Summit" in Busan on the 29th and 30th.
The summit was prepared to seek a new turning point for Korea's startup ecosystem amid challenges such as high interest rates, an investment slowdown, and global uncertainty. Under the subtitle "Beyond Capital, Shaking Paradigms," the summit aims to present a direction for a private-led investment ecosystem based on consolidation and solidarity, and learning, moving beyond traditional capital-centered venture investing.
Korea Startup Accelerators and Early Stage Investors Association (K-AIA) said, "Marking roughly 10 years since the introduction of the accelerator system, this will be a forum to review the changes and limits created by Korea's early-stage investors and to discuss the development path for the next 10 years." In particular, the association prepared the summit with the recognition that beyond simple funding, knowledge and experience, networks and trust are emerging as key factors determining the sustainability of the startup ecosystem.
The summit will be organized around five core agendas: ▲ paradigm shifts in the traditional venture investment industry ▲ new collaboration models between limited partners (LPs) and startup investment general partners (GPs) ▲ RIPS (innovation small business investment linkage support) investor scale-up ▲ accelerator business model 2.0 ▲ how AI is changing startup investment and growth-acceleration technologies. Through this, investors themselves will learn and build solidarity, and the program will delve into ways to respond to a changing industry environment and build a sustainable investment structure.
The summit will run as a composite program combining a conference, panel discussions, roundtables, and a networking reception. Keynotes and insight talks will share trends in domestic and global investment environments and strategic implications, while panel discussions will focus on issues and solutions from the actual investment field. It will also offer networking spaces where investors, startups, policy institutions, and regional innovation actors can interact, as well as private IR opportunities.
Korea Startup Accelerators and Early Stage Investors Association (K-AIA) plans to use this summit to redefine accelerators as the "architects and connectors" of Korea's startup ecosystem and to create a forum for public debate to move beyond a government-dependent structure toward a private-led, self-sustaining investment ecosystem. It will also be held in Busan to promote cross-border startup and investment activation that consolidates the region with global networks, with Busan as a base.