Next Challenge to Host ‘Around X Cosmic Odyssey,’ Supporting Startups in Reaching Global Markets

The Around X Cosmic Odyssey Performance Showcase, an event sharing successful cases of Korean startups entering overseas markets through collaboration with global corporations, was held on the 4th at Sebitseom in Banpo Hangang Park, Seoul.

Hosted by Next Challenge, the event brought together more than 200 attendees, including founders of startups that have collaborated with global companies such as Google, Intel, L’Oréal, Thales, and Astellas, as well as alumni companies and venture capital representatives. The event was held in a highly engaged and vibrant atmosphere.

Next Challenge is a global accelerator foundation authorized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in 2019, dedicated to fostering domestic and international startup ecosystems and nurturing innovative talent. Its primary areas of focus include startup acceleration, investment support and follow-on linkage, global corporate collaboration programs, and the operation of an educational institution for talent development (Next Challenge School). The foundation operates local offices not only in Seoul and Jeju, but also across ASEAN regions including Vietnam and Singapore, where it runs various startup support programs.

This year’s event, held under the slogan “Cosmic Odyssey”, aimed to present a sustainable global growth trajectory for startups and to share key achievements from the year.

During the opening keynote and welcome address, Young-rok Kim, CEO of Next Challenge, delivered a lecture on “Global Geopolitics Under Trump and Strategic Pattern-Breaking for Startups,” highlighting current economic and technological trends and the state of the global entrepreneurship landscape. He emphasized that differences in perspective, attitude, and mindset are fundamental drivers of innovation, introducing Elon Musk’s counterintuitive thinking at Tesla as a representative example.

He further identified the business sectors currently favored by global startup investors and venture capital firms, citing mobility, VR/AR/XR technologies, proptech, gaming, and AI robotics as key areas of focus. Additionally, he offered grounded and in-depth insights into the current domestic and global startup environment from the standpoint of a global VC, capturing the attention of participating startup leaders. He concluded by referencing historian Yuval Noah Harari’s insight that “those who control data will rule the future,” underscoring the importance of data power as the key means of production and control.

In the afternoon session, the practical outcomes of this year’s Around X initiatives operated by Next Challenge were shared. Around X is an open innovation program promoted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, facilitating collaboration between startups and global corporations. Through the program, Next Challenge has led global market expansion and technological exchange for domestic startups in partnership with major global companies such as Google (Changgu – Mobile Services), Intel (Ingenious – Artificial Intelligence), L’Oréal (Big Bang – Research Innovation/Digital), Thales (Trust My Tech – Deep Tech), and Astellas (Astellas – Pharma/Bio). (Parentheses indicate program name and sector.)

Representatives from each global partner organization attended the event and briefly presented their collaboration achievements, including:

• Geun-nan Park, Manager at Google Korea

• Yuri Song, Vice President at Intel Korea

• Tan Ye Sheng, Lead Representative from Thales Singapore

• Sang-ha Kang, Manager at L’Oréal Korea

• Chika Ward, Senior Manager at Astellas

According to Next Challenge, a total of 582 companies applied for this year’s Around X program, with 127 startups selected, recording an average competition ratio of 4.5 to 1. Beginning with the recruitment in February, the program advanced through multiple global engagement stages, including the Global IR Rebuilding event in June, Intel AI Summit and Thales Singapore Immersion Week in July, Vietnam Roadshow in September, and Astellas BIO Japan in October — resulting in a total of over 114 program activities this year.

To support these initiatives, Next Challenge is currently collaborating with 28 global organizations and 30 domestic institutions, and operates a mentor network of 56 experts across 13 countries.

At the showcase, leading startups that collaborated with global corporations also presented their business status, achievements, and future strategies.From Google’s Changgu Program, JamJam Therapeutics (CEO Kim Jeong-eun, rehabilitation game program for children with learning delays) and MoneyGuard Service (CEO Moon Moon-gyu, non-face-to-face financial loan documentation service) participated.From Intel’s Ingenious Program, MesaCore Company (CEO Lee Ji-hoon, Vision AI facial recognition technology) and GGQ Company (CEO Lee Yong-su, game/data analytics) took part.

From Thales’ Trust My Tech Program, iPin Labs (CEO Kang Sun-hyuk, geolocation and indoor positioning technology) and StellaVision (CEO Lee Seung-chul, satellite imagery analytics service) presented.From the L’Oréal Big Bang Program, Soosip (CEO Lee Chang-woo, entertainment and curated goods) joined, and from the Astellas Program, Avatar Therapeutics (CEO Cho Seung-hee, cell and gene therapy) participated. These startups shared practical collaboration insights, focusing on successful PoC (Proof of Concept) cases, cooperative support, and joint development experiences with respective global partners.

In the subsequent Alumni Presentation & Panel Talk, startups that completed the program in 2023 and 2024 presented their post-program growth. WeekLeaf (CEO Park Jung-yeon, children's educational content) spoke as the representative alumni company, sharing its successful experience and learnings from participation in the Around X Program.

The final VC Lecture & Panel Talk Session brought together global accelerator leaders and venture capital experts, who provided insights into overseas investment trends and strategic considerations. Building on CEO Young-rok Kim’s earlier keynote analysis of ASEAN market entry strategies, the panel further discussed real market conditions, characteristics of local ecosystems, and expansion strategies. They also examined overseas market validation methods, scalability factors, and real-world risk assessment approaches. Panelists collectively emphasized the importance of building an international partner network.

A networking reception followed, offering participants opportunities to build practical collaboration ties. Exhibition booths featuring key startup products and technologies were also set up at the venue.

CEO Young-rok Kim of Next Challenge concluded, stating,

“This showcase clearly demonstrated that the Around X Program is not just a one-off collaboration initiative, but a platform that builds a sustainable global growth ecosystem. We will continue to expand strategic global networks to support Korean startups in entering overseas markets.”

— Reporter Moon Kyu Lee, IT DongA (munch@itdonga.com)

View Original : https://www.donga.com/news/It/article/all/20251105/132706288/1