Thirty startups have been selected to use the global startup festival Comeup (COMEUP) as a springboard to enter overseas markets. A record 621 companies applied this year. The target regions have expanded to six, adding Singapore and India to the United States, Japan, China, and Europe.
Korea Startup Forum (KOSPO) said on the 10th it finalized 30 corporations to take part in Comeup Stars (COMEUP Stars) 2026.
Comeup Stars is a program that helps startups pre-validate business potential in overseas markets they want to enter, connect with local experts, and establish market entry strategies. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups hosts it, and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) oversees it. Marking its eighth year, Comeup will be held Dec. 9-11 at COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
The number of selected corporations increased to 30 this year from 20 last year. The program will run six tracks in total by adding Singapore and India tracks to the existing four tracks of the United States, Japan, China, and Europe.
This call drew 621 applications, up about 11% from 559 last year, setting a record high. KOSPO conducted document reviews and interviews and selected a total of 30 companies, five from each region.
In the United States track, C Vantage, Space&Bean, N.thing, Omelet, and Qgenetics made the list. In the Japan track, DnD, LightAI, Blackstorm, Scone AI, and Pilsang were selected, and in the China track, GroovyX, Rainbow Pintos Media, MetaBank, Almond&Co, and GPP were each chosen.
The Europe track includes Novair, Base&Power City, SIJE, OncoLab Co., and Konstante. In the newly created Singapore track, Dosigotgan, Devdi, SLZ, Willog, and Forest Jalan were selected, and in the India track, RayDK, Lumicraft, VisualCamp, APIT, and CrossHub were each chosen.
The selected corporations will receive programs tailored to each country, including special lectures on local market entry and fundraising strategies, as well as one-on-one mentoring and collaboration opportunities with regional partner institutions.
Regional partner institutions include Mission Law and Saje Partners in the United States, and 123 Factory and Corelia Capital Korea in Europe. In Japan, Shinhan Futures Lab Japan and Z Venture Capital will participate, and in China, SBVA and PAB will be in charge. In Singapore, Kiura Ventures and Wilt Venture Builder, and in India, Shimsan Ventures and Unicorn Incubator will support local market entry.
KIM Jaewon, chair of KOSPO, said, "Comeup Stars is a global expansion program designed to help domestic startups secure new growth opportunities in overseas markets," adding, "We hope the selected corporations will strengthen their global expansion capabilities through region-specific accelerating and the main Comeup event, and that this becomes a chance to showcase the competitiveness of Korea's startups to the world."