- Over 3,600 one-on-one meetups conducted between 250 corporates/investors and 1,100 startups from 28 countries -
- Germany, this year's featured country, dispatched official delegation; Mercedes-Benz, BMW and other key German corporates participated -
- VivaTech, IFA, and MWC executives gathered in Seoul, linking global innovation ecosystems -
- 30 global startups selected for the NextRise Awards; Mediwhale and UEL won Top Innovator prizes -
SEOUL, South Korea, July 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- On June 26, 2025, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and Korea Development Bank (KDB) co-hosted NextRise 2025, Asia's premier innovation expo, at COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul.
NextRise 2025 Exhibit hall view
Marking its 7th edition, NextRise 2025 was held across the full COEX venue over two days (June 26–27), bringing together global investors and tech scouts in AI, mobility, sustainability, and healthcare. The event featured booth exhibitions, conferences, partner events, and one-on-one meetups, drawing over 20,000 entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world. The meetup program reached a record-breaking scale, with over 3,600 business consultations held between 250 large corporations and investors and 1,100 startups from 28 countries.
Germany, the featured country for this year, dispatched a 47-member official delegation led by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK), including representatives from Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), German Accelerator, and 21 German startups. Germany operated a national pavilion and hosted forums and demo days throughout the event. Major German companies including Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Beiersdorf, Deutsche Bahn, and Lufthansa also participated in seminars and meetups, seeking collaboration with Korean counterparts.
KITA used this opportunity to strengthen its global networks with major innovation expos and promote startup collaboration and innovation growth. For the first time in Korea, executives from the world's top innovation events—including François Bitouzet of Viva Technology (France), Leif Lindner of IFA (Germany), and Richard Ferraro of MWC (Spain)—gathered to meet with over 100 startups, corporates, and venture capitalists, discussing strategies for enhanced global cooperation across innovation ecosystems.
The highlight of the event, the 3rd NextRise Awards, received 702 applications, with 30 companies selected after a competitive 23:1 selection ratio. Mediwhale, a deep-tech startup developing AI-based retinal diagnostic devices (CEO Taegeun Choi), and UEL, Korea's only lunar exploration robotics company (CEO Namsuk Cho), won the Top Innovator Awards. Entrepreneurs from Germany, Japan, Indonesia, Brazil, and other countries also received awards, reflecting the global diversity of innovation.
Namsuk Cho, CEO of UEL (Unmanned Exploration Laboratory), stated, "With this award, we plan to secure follow-up investment and swiftly prove our lunar exploration technology to rise as a global company with proprietary capabilities."
Award-winning companies received support for international expansion and cloud credits through programs operated by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NAVER Cloud, the official sponsors, in collaboration with KITA.
In his welcome remarks, KITA Chairman Yoon Jin-sik stated, "We were honored to welcome innovators and industrial leaders from around the world to NextRise, Asia's largest open innovation platform." He added, "KITA, together with KDB, served as a bridge transforming ideas into technologies and technologies into industries, helping to design the industries of tomorrow amid the challenges and opportunities of AI, deep-tech, and the green transition."
List of Award Winners – 3rd NextRise 2025 Awards
Top 2 Honorees(MUI Robotics Co., Ltd. MediWhale Co., Ltd.)
No. | Company | Industry | Founded | Funding Stage | Company & Business | Country |
1 | Telos Co., Ltd. | Robotics | 2020 | Series A | Utilizes proprietary 3D metaverse conversion solution for digital twin, BIM, and robot control software. | Korea |
2 | VISIONSPACE Co., Ltd. | Robotics | 2023 | Series A | Provides AI + digital twin-based automated factory and warehouse monitoring simulation in real time. | Korea |
3 | WorkersHigh | Retail Tech | 2021 | Series A | Offers ultra-compact offline retail format powered by big data and AI technology. | Korea |
4 | BANF Intelligent Tire System | Mobility | 2020 | Series A | Develops intelligent tire system-based solutions to enhance safety and fuel efficiency. | Korea |
5 | Vueron Technology | Mobility | 2019 | Series B | Provides LiDAR perception solutions for autonomous driving and smart infrastructure. | Korea |
6 | MedySapiens, Inc. | Bio | 2017 | Series A | AI-driven genomic analysis for rapid diagnosis of rare newborn diseases | Korea |
7 | AULBIO Co., Ltd. | Bio | 2018 | Series B | Develops long-acting treatments for diabetes, obesity, and dementia with monthly dosing. | Korea |
8 | CIT Co., Ltd | Materials &Components | 2023 | Series A | IT materials company enabling ultra-fast, high-volume data processing. | Korea |
9 | Solum Advanced Materials | Materials &Components | 2016 | Series B | First in the world to commercialize asymmetric rolling process. | Korea |
10 | CarbonValue | Sustainability | 2021 | Series B | Develops next-generation CO₂ capture system based on rotating packed bed technology. | Korea |
11 | Aetech Co., Ltd. | Sustainability | 2020 | Series A | Builds AI-powered robots for automated waste sorting. | Korea |
12 | Neosapience | Content Tech | 2017 | Series B | Provides a platform where anyone can create content using AI voice and avatars. | Korea |
13 | adoba Corporation | Content Tech | 2015 | Series A | Offers "adobaro," a SaaS solution for global platform entry of creators worldwide. | Korea |
14 | UEL (Unmanned Exploration Laboratory) | Aerospace / Mobility | 2023 | pre-A | Korea's only startup developing lunar exploration rovers. | Korea |
15 | Leesol Co., Ltd. | Healthcare | 2017 | Series B | Development and commercialization of specialized medical devices and wellness solutions for mental health | Korea |
16 | Mediwhale | Healthcare | 2016 | Series B | AI-powered health diagnostics company that uses non-invasive retina scans to help prevent cardiometbolic diseases | Korea |
17 | Mathpresso | AI | 2015 | Series D | Hyper-personalized GenAI tutor covering the full learning journey. | Korea |
18 | NarniaLabs. Co., Ltd. | AI | 2022 | Series A | Provides generative AI-based product design and engineering solutions for manufacturing industries. | Korea |
19 | CODIT Corp. | ICT Service | 2020 | Seed | AI platform for analyzing legislation, regulation, and policy changes. | Korea |
20 | ENERZAi Inc. | ICT Service | 2019 | Series A | Develops high-performance AI solutions including Optimium, an AI inference optimization engine. | Korea |
21 | ARISE | Lifestyle | 2024 | Seed | Webtoon studio producing smart NFC-enabled interactive figures. | France |
22 | Mobile Vision Technology GmbH | Robotics | 2024 | Series A | Develops advanced vision technologies for robotics and automation systems. | Germany |
23 | Aviloo GmbH | Mobility | 2018 | — | Provides diagnostic technology for electric vehicle batteries. | Austria |
24 | SolCold Ltd. | Sustainability | 2016 | Series B | Cleantech company offering solar-powered passive cooling coating. | Israel |
25 | PT Jejak Enviro Teknologi | Sustainability | 2020 | Seed | Climate tech startup focused on carbon management and eco-friendly solution projects. | Indonesia |
26 | The Keeper Limited | Healthcare | 2022 | — | AI platform for disease classification and precision diagnostics using lab data. | Thailand |
27 | Orbitau | Healthcare | 2022 | Pre–Seed | Provides healthcare patient management and efficiency enhancement solutions. | Brazil |
28 | Workist GmbH | ICT Service | 2019 | Series A | Automates order entry and post-sales processes for manufacturers and wholesalers using AI. | Germany |
29 | Findy | ICT Service | 2016 | Series D | Offers SaaS tools to improve engineering productivity. | Japan |
30 | Klepsydra Technologies | ICT Service | 2018 | Series A | Develops high-performance data processing and edge AI software. | Switzerland |
