Google Holds 'Startup AI Festival'
Companies from Startup Campus Create Over 5,000 Jobs
The Google Startup Campus Seoul, which supports networking among domestic startups, has celebrated its 10th anniversary. It was revealed that startups that have passed through this campus have collectively attracted investments totaling approximately 1.4 trillion won.
On the morning of the 17th, key attendees are taking a commemorative photo at the 'Startup AI Festival,' an event celebrating the 10th anniversary of the opening, held at the Google Startup Campus Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Google Korea
On the morning of the 17th, Google held the 'Startup AI Festival' at Google Startup Campus Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to mark the 10th anniversary of the campus's opening and made this announcement.
The Google Startup Campus is a space established to support the startup ecosystem through networking, mentoring, and education for startups. Google selected Seoul as the location for its first campus in Asia and established the Google Startup Campus Seoul in 2015. Currently, Google operates startup campuses not only in Seoul but also in Madrid (Spain), Warsaw (Poland), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Tel Aviv (Israel), and Tokyo (Japan).
Through the Startup Campus Seoul, Google has operated various support programs for startups, including the 'Artificial Intelligence (AI) Academy' and 'AI Startup School.' These programs have provided domestic startups with technical mentoring, global networking opportunities, and cloud infrastructure. At the same time, the campus has also served as a community where founders, investors, and developers can network and exchange ideas.
According to Google, the Seoul campus has supported more than 200 startups so far through networking, mentoring, and other initiatives. The cumulative investment attracted by domestic startups supported by the Google Startup Campus amounts to approximately 1.4 trillion won (about 1.07 billion dollars). These startups have directly created 5,136 jobs to date.
A sculpture installed at the 10th anniversary event "Startup AI Festival" held on the morning of the 17th at Google Startup Campus Seoul in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Photo by Lee Myunghwan
At the event held under the theme "The Age of AI: Korean Startup Leadership," attendees included Karen Pfister, Global Director of Google Startups, Joy Sakurai, Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Korea, Lim Jungwook, Director of Startup and Venture Innovation at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Kim Kyunghoon, President of Google Korea, and Mike Kim, Head of Google Startup Campus Asia-Pacific.
In the following session, key figures from domestic AI startups discussed the conditions necessary for AI startups to succeed. Woo Chanmin, Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Liner, a startup specializing in search-focused AI agents, said, "The first thing to consider is, of course, the customer," and emphasized, "AI strategies should be driven with the customer's problem at the center."
Lee Bokki, CEO of HR tech company WantedLab, also advised, "One of the key indicators that AI startups should focus on when solving customer problems is time. If a task is time-consuming, there is significant potential for AI involvement," adding, "Unique data is also important when dealing with AI business as a startup."
In addition, Arushi Selvan, Product Manager at Google DeepMind, and investor Bradley Horowitz discussed the future of AI product development.
Karen Pfister, Global Director of Google Startup Campus, emphasized, "Since AI is a core technology for the future startup ecosystem, Google will serve as a strong stepping stone for promising Korean entrepreneurs to succeed on the global stage, leveraging our products, people, and expertise."
Meanwhile, this AI Festival will continue as the 'Startup AI Pocha Tour,' which will travel to major cities across the country, including Busan and Gyeongju, from next month through September, providing Google’s AI technology and startup know-how.
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