NextRise 2025, co-hosted by KITA and KDB, concluded in Seoul with over 20,000 attendees, 3,600 consultations, and top innovation awards celebrating global startups.
 |
| Hosted at COEX in Seoul, NextRise 2025 drew global innovation leaders, featured Germany as partner country, and honored top startups like Mediwhale and UEL. Image: KITA |
SEOUL, South Korea— July 10, 2025:
Asia’s flagship innovation event, NextRise 2025, co-hosted by the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) and the Korea Development Bank (KDB), successfully concluded at COEX in Seoul on June 27, 2025. Marking its seventh year, the two-day expo welcomed over 20,000 global participants including entrepreneurs, investors, and technology leaders in sectors such as AI, mobility, sustainability, and healthcare.
Held across the full COEX venue in Samseong-dong, the event featured exhibitions, conferences, one-on-one meetups, and international forums. A record 3,600 business consultations were held between 250 global corporations and investors and 1,100 startups from 28 countries, making it the largest matchmaking program in the expo’s history.
Germany was the featured partner nation, with a 47-member delegation led by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWK). Organizations such as Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI), German Accelerator, and 21 startups joined the event, hosting demo days and operating a national pavilion. Top German companies including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lufthansa, Beiersdorf, and Deutsche Bahn engaged in partnership dialogues with Korean firms.
In a major highlight, executives from leading global tech expos—Viva Technology (France), IFA (Germany), and MWC (Spain)—gathered in Korea for the first time to meet more than 100 startups and investors. Their visit aimed to forge stronger international ties between innovation ecosystems.
The prestigious NextRise Awards, now in its third year, attracted 702 applicants. After a competitive selection process, 30 startups were honored. Mediwhale, a deep-tech company developing AI retinal diagnostic tools, and UEL (Unmanned Exploration Laboratory), Korea’s only lunar robotics startup, won the Top Innovator Awards. Entrepreneurs from Germany, Japan, Indonesia, and Brazil were also recognized, showcasing the event’s global diversity.
Following the win, UEL CEO Namsuk Cho said, “We plan to secure follow-up investment and swiftly validate our lunar exploration technology to emerge as a global force with proprietary solutions.”
Awarded companies received cloud credits and global support through AWS and NAVER Cloud, official sponsors partnering with KITA to back startup expansion.
KITA Chairman Yoon Jin-sik welcomed global attendees by calling NextRise “Asia’s largest open innovation platform” and emphasized the role of KITA and KDB as “bridges transforming ideas into industries” in the era of AI, deep-tech, and sustainable transition.
NextRise 2025 solidified Seoul’s position as a global hub for innovation and startup collaboration, creating pathways for emerging technologies and global business growth.