Gangnam-gu '2023 Changupga Street Festival' Held

From the 14th to the 16th, a collaborative festival by four startup organizations including Gangnam-gu, Asan Nanum Foundation, POSCO, and Korea Angel Investment Association

Gangnam-gu (Mayor Jo Seong-myeong) will hold the ‘2023 Gangnam Startup Street Festival START TRACK WEEK’ from the 14th to the 16th at Yeoksam-ro Startup Street (from Yeoksam Elementary School Intersection to Old Yeoksam Tax Office Intersection).

Since 2021, the district has been hosting the Gangnam Startup Street Festival (START TRACK WEEK) in partnership with the Asan Nanum Foundation, POSCO, and the Korea Angel Investment Association to revitalize the Yeoksam-ro Startup Street area and support the growth and development of startups.

This year’s festival will be centered around the Gangnam Employment and Startup Hub Center, which opened in October last year, and will feature various events such as startup IR pitching and networking, Start Track tours, and photo booths at Asan Nanum Foundation’s ‘Maru’, POSCO’s ‘Change Up Ground’, and Korea Angel Investment Association’s ‘Tipstown’.

Starting with the opening ceremony at the Gangnam Employment and Startup Hub Center on the 14th, Lee Su-jeong, CEO of IT specialist company Eponet, will give a lecture on her startup story and the entrepreneurial spirit of sharing.

Additionally, a ‘Biz Matching Day’ will be held to introduce resident companies at the center to external startups. On the 15th, ‘Startup Insight’ will take place with four startup CEOs from diverse backgrounds, ranging from high school students to professionals, participating as panelists.

Moreover, an ‘Independent Film Theater’ will operate, screening eight outstanding independent films produced by resident companies at the center. On the 16th, the ‘2023 Gangnam-gu Startup Recruitment Event’ will be held as a meeting place for startups and young job seekers.

At Maru, the ‘Maru Collect Pop-up Store’ will be open from the 14th to the 16th. On the 14th, food creator Park Min-ji will give a lecture on personal branding know-how; on the 15th, there will be a docent tour and artist talk for the solo exhibition ‘Growing Ground’ by artist Kunsthoite; and on the 16th, an ‘Incense Object Class with the Scent of the Sea Forest’ will be held.

At POSCO Change Up Ground, ‘2023 PR-Day’ will be held on the 14th, jointly hosted by POSTECH Technology Holdings and Seoul National University Technology Holdings. This event supports networking for companies needing information exchange opportunities and introduces the innovation and insights of promising startups. On the 16th, POSCO Biz-Day will be held, co-hosted by POSCO, SBA Seoul Business Agency, and the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Business matching consultations will be conducted by six POSCO group companies for POSCO-incubated and Tipstown resident companies, along with VC networking to support investment attraction.

At Tipstown, the ‘2023 TIPS Summit’ conference, open to all startup stakeholders, will be held on the 15th. This event will feature insight lectures and panel discussions on generative AI, as well as a networking party. On the 16th, Tipstown’s representative investment attraction program, the ‘2023 2nd TIPS Meetup (Bio & Healthcare)’, will take place, including investment trend lectures, sharing of corporate investment strategies, IR pitching by TIPS startups, and feedback from expert advisors.

In addition, ‘Life Photo Booths’ will be installed in front of each institution, allowing anyone to enjoy photo zones at Yeoksam-ro Startup Street. A ‘Start Track Tour’ will also be operated, introducing the founding purposes and spaces of each institution, with Q&A sessions and photo opportunities by institution.

For detailed information about the event and program participation applications, please visit the START TRACK WEEK website.

Jo Seong-myeong, Mayor of Gangnam-gu, stated, “I hope this event will be an opportunity for startups to leap into global unicorn companies and for job seekers to meet hopeful companies. We will continue to strengthen cooperation among local startup support organizations to make Gangnam a global startup mecca.”