SKT Establishes Foothold for Korean AI Companies' Expansion into Japan in Tokyo

‘K-AI Alliance Global Meetup’ Held in Tokyo
44 Companies Participate
A Platform for Exchange Between Startups and Investors from Both Countries

Participants of the 'K-AI Alliance Global Meetup' took a commemorative photo in Tokyo, Japan on the 5th. Photo by SKT

SK Telecom held a large-scale collaboration event in Japan to support the global expansion of Korean artificial intelligence (AI) startups. SK Telecom announced on the 7th that it hosted the 'K-AI Alliance Global Meetup in Tokyo' on the 5th in Tokyo, Japan.

The event brought together 17 companies from the K-AI Alliance, including SK Telecom, as well as major Japanese corporations such as NTT, Mitsubishi Corporation, and Mizuho Bank. Startups like Preferred Networks and venture capital representatives from NTT Docomo Ventures and PKSHA also attended.

Korean AI startups introduced their business models through IR pitching and networking sessions. The companies that took the stage included: SelectStar, Studio Lab, MakinaRocks, and Allganize in 'AI X'; ELICE Group and RavelUp in 'AI Infrastructure'; RealWorld in 'AI Robotics'; and Scatter Lab, LINER, XL8, Emocog, and Soundable Health in 'AI Services.' Lee Kyunghoon, CEO of Japanese venture capital Global Brain, and entrepreneurs with experience entering the Japanese market shared their success strategies.

A total of 44 companies from both Korea and Japan participated in this meetup, facilitating extensive exchanges. Song Jiyeong, CEO of Soundable Health, said, "It was meaningful to be able to directly connect with local companies." Takahashi Kazuhiko, Head of Business Development at NTT, commented, "It was a valuable opportunity to deepen our understanding of Korean AI companies," expressing anticipation for future collaboration.

In his opening remarks, Yoo Youngsang, CEO of SK Telecom, stated, "Japan is a rapidly growing market in the AI industry and represents a new land of opportunity for Korean companies. We will actively support the entry of Korean AI companies into Japan and their global expansion."

The K-AI Alliance, launched in February 2023 under the leadership of SK Telecom, has now expanded to 37 member companies. Recently, seven new companies joined, including RealWorld, a robotics foundation model company; SelectStar, a data-centric AI company; Law&Company, a legal tech company; and S2W, a security company.