The Small and Medium Business Administration announced on November 2 that it supported the participation of 14 graduate startups from the Youth Startup Academy at the '2026 Industrial AI EXPO' held from October 21 to 23.
This support aimed to help startups with technology and products in the industrial artificial intelligence (AI) sector introduce their offerings to potential customers and expand their market reach. During the exhibition, a total of 2,634 visitors attended the integrated hall of the Youth Startup Academy, where the participating companies achieved 834 product consultations and identified 143 potential buyers.
Kim Tae-kyung, CEO of Great Bee, stated, "Through this exhibition, we were able to introduce our services to corporate clients and directly assess their demand for AI utilization and criteria for consideration during implementation. We will work towards securing actual customers through follow-up discussions with consulting companies."
Discussions for collaboration with overseas buyers also took place. Oh Kwon-seok, CEO of Ogané Program, received inquiries from SANX in Tokushima, Japan, regarding products that could connect with existing system users, and discussed potential partnerships with 250 companies from the Shikoku IT Cooperative. Additionally, discussions were held with ECOTEL in Indonesia regarding technology partnerships and local supply possibilities through a memorandum of understanding (MOU).
The Youth Startup Academy continues to provide follow-up support considering the growth stages and demands of its graduates to ensure they can sustain growth beyond the initial startup phase. The support for participation in this exhibition is part of efforts to expand market access and enhance business competitiveness for graduate startups.
Meanwhile, rumors of the academy's potential closure arose after the government’s proposed budget for 2027 did not include related funding. However, Minister of SMEs and Startups Lee So-young reaffirmed on October 7 during a National Assembly audit that the academy would be maintained.
Im Ji-hyun, head of the Youth Startup Academy, expressed hope that the exhibition would serve as an opportunity to showcase the technological and product competitiveness of graduate startups and seek new business opportunities, stating, "We will continue to actively support graduate companies in discovering domestic and international customers and expanding collaboration opportunities."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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