Korea Angel Investment Association Successfully Concludes "Scale-Up Summit 2026"… Supporting Regional Startup Investment Opportunities

14 Startups from Tech and Agri-Industry Sectors Join the Event
1:1 Meetings with Metropolitan Area VCs and More

The Korea Angel Investment Association announced that it successfully held the "Scale-Up Summit 2026" on the 15th at COEX in Seoul to provide follow-on investment opportunities for outstanding startups from different regions.

The Korea Angel Investment Association held the 'Scale-Up Summit 2026' on the 15th at COEX Hall C in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Angel Investment Association

This event, co-hosted by the Korea Angel Investment Association and the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation, was attended by more than 100 people, including angel investors, venture capitalists, accelerator representatives, TIPS operators, and officials from organizations related to startups and investment. The summit was organized in connection with "AFPRO 2026" to expand investment attraction opportunities for startups discovered through regional angel investment hubs.

The association carefully selected companies that had demonstrated tangible business results after seed investment, such as securing sales, expanding their customer base, and validating their technology. The main focus was on offering local startups opportunities to connect with investors based in the Seoul metropolitan area for potential follow-on funding.

The event followed a program that included an introduction to the regional hub follow-on investment linkage program, startup IR sessions, judges' feedback and awards, 1:1 meetings, and networking. The IR sessions were divided into two tracks: six companies in the tech track and eight in the agri-industry track. Each company had 10 minutes to present their business models, technological strengths, progress to date, and investment plans.

In the technology track, participants included:

- Awesome Nix (manufacturer of test pins and sockets for system semiconductor performance testing),

- Solty Lab Korea (operator of "Ait," an AI data bridge platform connecting personal health data safely),

- Free Idea (hotel DX amenity ESG management platform, Oseller),

- Umed (AI urology platform based on urological medical devices),

- JH Biotechnology (ultrasound-based bone regeneration induction system for early alveolar bone healing), and

- CrossHub (AI and blockchain-based identity verification and global payment connection service).

In the agri-industry track, participants included:

- UniAi (Chicken Monger & Avic ARX poultry farm platform),

- Insight FI (converting domestic chrysanthemum ‘Active9’ into a global functional ingredient using AI),

- IftBiome (fermented protein-based food tech platform),

- Sealife Science Lab (operator of "SeaChart," an AI-based global seafood trading platform in Busan),

- Mua Haeng (food brand focusing on gut health, inner beauty, and caffeine-free alternative coffee),

- Signal Care (alternative feed ingredient provider utilizing purified agricultural and fisheries by-products),

- Nulabio (crop gene editing IP licensing), and

- ST Retail (meat food tech company based on AI data and aging technology).

After the IR sessions, outstanding companies from each sector were awarded based on evaluations. In the tech track, Umed received the Korea Angel Investment Association Chairman's Award. In the agri-industry track, Signal Care won the Korea Agro-Fisheries & Food Trade Corporation President's Award. The association plans to form a follow-up management pool through regional hubs to provide ongoing support for companies with high investment potential identified after the event.

Bongdeok Kim, Policy Director for Small and Medium Venture Business at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, "One of the biggest challenges that regional startups face is securing follow-on investments and capital funding. I hope this summit serves as a solid bridge connecting the rich investment infrastructure of the Seoul metropolitan area with promising regional tech startups. The government will continue to provide policy support to stimulate local startup ecosystems."

Jonghoon Lee, Chairman of the Korea Angel Investment Association, said, "This summit was a meaningful occasion where promising startups discovered in local areas could directly meet and explore the possibility of follow-on investment with capital-based investors. We will continue to provide full support in partnership with regional angel investment hubs so that early-stage startups in the growth phase can secure practical investment opportunities."

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