Kospo Hosts "2026 Business Trip in Tokyo" to Support Expansion into Japan

Discovering Collaboration with Major Japanese Corporations

Building Networks with Senior Entrepreneurs

The Korea Startup Forum announced on May 4 that it has successfully concluded the "2026 Business Trip in Tokyo."

On the 28th of last month, at the Ebisu Business Tower in Japan, officials took a commemorative photo at the "2nd Korea-Japan Innovators Night" event jointly organized by Kospo, Shinhan Financial Group, and Kiraboshi Bank. Kospo

This event, held for the second time following last year, took place in Tokyo, Japan from April 26 to 29. The event was attended by Jaewon Kim, Chairman of Kospo, Jiyoung Choi, CEO of Kospo, as well as 12 startups and investors from both Korea and Japan.

The 2026 Business Trip in Tokyo is a hands-on global expansion program designed to provide domestic startups wishing to enter the Japanese market with tangible business opportunities locally. The goal is not limited to simple market research or networking; instead, it aims to produce concrete results, such as discovering collaboration opportunities with major Japanese corporations and attracting investments from local venture capital (VC) firms.

Participants in this program included: Sangkyu Choi, CEO of RealDraw; Junbae Kim, CEO of Diver; Bohye Kim, Head of BeMyFriends; Hyungeun Son, CEO of Localy; Pilho Shin, Managing Director of Indent Corporation; Seungsoo Cha, CEO of Jacqueline; Junwoo Ryu, CEO of Ululu; Younghyun Jeong, CEO of Korca; Yunseong Joo, Director at DayOneDream; Cheolyong Kang, CEO of AidenLab; Jeongil Gong, CEO of Scone AI; and Sanghyuk Ko, CEO of Outcome.

On the evening of the first day, April 26, a "Networking Dinner with Local Players in Tokyo" was held, allowing participants to connect with fellow entrepreneurs who have already entered the Japanese market. Key stakeholders from the Korean startup ecosystem and those actively involved in Japan, such as Youngjun Yang, CEO of YJ Company, and Manhyeong Jeong, CEO of HooHoo International, gathered to discuss ways to collaborate.

On April 27, a "Japan Market Entry Strategy Session" took place at the KOTRA Tokyo IT Center. Masataka Keireiji, former Head of Innovation at Deloitte Japan and former Chief Planner at SushiTech, was invited as a speaker to focus on practical strategies for entering the Japanese market.

On the following day, April 28, the "2nd Korea-Japan Innovators Night" was jointly hosted by Kospo, Shinhan Financial Group, and Kiraboshi Bank at the Ebisu Business Tower. The event was attended by more than 80 participants, including representatives from Japanese public institutions, investment firms, large corporations, and related organizations.

Notably, the event featured a panel talk with Hyungil Moon, Deputy Director General of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); Myungkeun Song, CEO of Olive Union; and Youngsik Park, Vice President of Caplix Cloud. These senior entrepreneurs, who have entered both the Japanese and Korean markets, shared their on-the-ground experiences and insights, helping participating companies gain a clear understanding of the market. Participants noted that they were able to hear vivid accounts of the trial-and-error process and success strategies involved in local market entry.

CEO Choi stated, "This event provided a real opportunity for domestic startups to experience the Japanese market firsthand and discover local partners," adding, "Going forward, Kospo will continue to expand programs that systematically support domestic startups in their global market expansion."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.