The "2025 Startup Korea Investment Week," jointly hosted by Daejeon City and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, successfully kicked off on the 16th at Yotgol Culture Park in Yuseong-gu. Now in its third year, this event presented the nation's first '1:1 investment meetup' model utilizing local alleyway businesses. This marks a significant step for Daejeon in establishing itself as 'a city great for starting up, and a city great for investing.'

A Hotbed of Exchange Between Investors and Startups

The investment week runs for four days until the 19th, with a record-breaking scale of 151 participating organizations and 84 programs. A key highlight was the 1:1 investment consultations held at 30 small business stores in the Yotgol Culture Park area. Unlike rigid, formal investment briefings, this format created a comfortable and practical atmosphere, allowing investors and startup representatives to communicate and explore investment opportunities.

The opening ceremony was attended by over 100 key figures, including Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo, Director General of the Venture Innovation Office at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups Lim Jung-wook, Daejeon City Council Chairman Cho Won-hwi, as well as representatives from investment firms and startups. Following the ceremony, Mayor Lee Jang-woo personally visited nine consultation venues to encourage domestic and international investment firms like Y&Archer, Samik Ventures, and ETRI Holdings, as well as university startup club members, directly witnessing the vibrant energy on-site.

Paving the Way for Global Market Entry

The event drew attention with its 'Global Forum,' designed to support both domestic startups' overseas expansion and international startups' entry into Korea. This highlights Daejeon's strong commitment to growing beyond an innovation hub and becoming a global startup hub. Daejeon City plans to actively support local startups with excellent technology and ideas, helping them connect with the global investment ecosystem and expand into international markets.

Daejeon Mayor Lee Jang-woo stated, "This investment week will be a significant turning point for Daejeon's innovative startups as they venture onto the global stage. We will continue to actively support the sustained growth and revitalization of Daejeon's startup ecosystem."

Meanwhile, through this event, Daejeon has solidified its identity as a leading startup city that goes beyond simple support to facilitate tangible investment and growth. All eyes are now on Daejeon to see if it will grow into a global hub that leads the South Korean startup ecosystem.