2024-12-20

On the 20th of the month, the "2024 Pangyo Valley Festa" was held successfully at Pangyo Startup Zone.

The event, hosted by Gyeonggi Innovation Center at the Pangyo Techno Valley's Startup Hub, was rebranded this year under the theme "Pangyo, Connecting the Startup Ecosystem." The event aimed to highlight the importance of regional startup clusters and expand opportunities for collaboration between startups and innovation stakeholders.

The event was attended by relevant organizations such as the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Gyeonggi Provincial Small and Medium Business Administration, KT, Seongnam Industry Promotion Agency, and the National Creative Economy Innovation Centers, along with private sector accelerators like the Initial Investment Accelerator Association (KAIA), emphasizing collaboration and connectivity. Networking opportunities were also provided for startup employees, investors, and startup-related organizations, strengthening the interconnectedness of the startup ecosystem.

In his opening speech, Gyeonggi Innovation Center Director Kim Won-kyung emphasized the importance of the regional startup ecosystem and expressed hopes that the Pangyo Valley Festa would become a representative event for connecting the startup ecosystem. Gyeonggi Small and Medium Business Administration Director Jo Hee-su also delivered a congratulatory speech, wishing that Pangyo Techno Valley would become a creative space where entrepreneurs and investors could share ideas, grow together, and drive innovation, much like Silicon Valley.

The first session of the day, a panel discussion titled "The Role and Direction of Accelerators and Sustainable Collaboration Between Private and Public Sectors," attracted great attention. Experts from the industry, including Jeon Ha-seong, President of the Initial Investment Accelerator Association, Kwon Do-gyun, CEO of Primer, Myung Seung-eun, CEO of Venture Square, Oh Deuk-chang, Chairman of the Creative Economy Innovation Center Council, and Lee Ki-dae, Center Director of Startup Alliance, discussed the current issues of the startup ecosystem and explored ways to create synergies through collaboration between private and public accelerators.

The highlight of the opening session was the "2024 815 IR Performance Sharing" and the "815 IR Outstanding Case Presentations." Among the outstanding cases, Hydrogen Butterfly (developing a drone and UAM fuel cell powerpack module for aviation) and Thoth (secondary battery waste battery regeneration solution) were recognized. Both companies were awarded the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award, proving their achievements within the startup ecosystem.

Additionally, the Gyeonggi Provincial Small and Medium Business Administration Director's Award went to six companies, including Brain Ventures (a solution platform that automatically extracts natural language from charts and tables), Prelude Studio (a K-POP music distribution platform "Ad Prism" that releases and distributes music simultaneously), MyLink (a SaaS platform for smart factory integration for small and medium manufacturers), and Mobik New Materials Technology (a CNF (nanocellulose)-based CNT conductive material and graphene aqueous dispersion).

Outstanding companies nurtured by Gyeonggi Innovation Center this year received certificates of merit. The Ministry of SMEs and Startups Minister's Award went to Alpes (powder atomic layer coating technology for secondary batteries), and the Gyeonggi Provincial Small and Medium Business Administration Director's Award went to FLC (developer of a high-precision DIE Bonder for semiconductor back-end process manufacturing equipment, offering a complete automatic replacement solution for semiconductor materials).

Furthermore, the "2024 Pangyo Valley Festa" featured various programs focused on key topics within the startup ecosystem, such as open innovation, climate tech, and investment. Notable sessions included the 32nd Startup 815-IR NEXT on semiconductors (with firms like Dongmun Partners, Honest Ventures, Danal Investment Partners), CEO Club lectures on the impact of the U.S. presidential election on the climate tech ecosystem (MYSC Director Lim Seong-jun), and the "Trend Korea 2025" consumer trend forecast by Dr. Kwon Jeong-yun. There were also global expansion support sessions, an innovation mentoring program for NEXT, and a shared success case presentation from Gyeonggi’s climate tech sector.

The networking sessions allowed attendees to exchange ideas and explore collaboration opportunities, while the startup experience zone offered participants a chance to interact with various products and services, receiving positive feedback.

One startup representative shared their thoughts, saying, "I gained many insights from the Pangyo Valley Festa and had the opportunity to meet new partners, which was meaningful."

A representative from Gyeonggi Innovation Center commented, "We invited startup experts, investors, and startups to share achievements and express our gratitude. We will continue to support the nurturing of deep-tech and high-gap companies, expanding the Pangyo Valley Festa to contribute to the development of the startup ecosystem."

Pangyo Startup Zone, established by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and operated by the Startup Promotion Agency and Gyeonggi Innovation Center, is dedicated to nurturing promising deep-tech and high-gap startups, becoming the central hub of the regional startup ecosystem.

source : https://platum.kr/archives/248396