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NextRise 2025 Held in Seoul, Asia's Leading Innovation Expo Co-hosted by KITA and KDB

Cision | Thu, Jul 10 2025 06:38 PM AEST

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Image Source:Kalkine Media

- 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
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 CO 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

 

 

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