Gwangju City Promotes Investment in Osaka and Kansai, Japan

Delegation Strengthens Cooperation and Exchange with Companies and Investors from September 16 to 20
Expanding the Foundation by Promoting Strategic Industries such as AI and Future Mobility

The Gwangju City Investment Promotion Delegation held a "Comprehensive Investment Environment Briefing and Mini Pitching Competition" on the 17th at the Osaka City Plaza Hotel, attended by over 200 local Japanese businesspeople, investors, and institutional officials. Photo by Gwangju City

Gwangju City announced on September 21 that it had sent an investment promotion delegation to Japan from September 16 to 20, conducting activities to attract investment in Osaka and the Kansai region. Startups from Gwangju that participated in the delegation also achieved notable results by winning awards at a local pitching competition.

The Japanese delegation, which included early-stage startups from Gwangju, carried out investment promotion activities in connection with the "2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo." In cooperation with the KOTRA Osaka Trade Center, the Osaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and major economic organizations in Kansai, they widely promoted the industrial competitiveness of Gwangju in the global market.

On September 17, the delegation held a "Comprehensive Investment Environment Briefing and Mini Pitching Competition" at the Osaka City Plaza Hotel, attended by over 200 local Japanese businesspeople, investors, and institutional officials. The event introduced Gwangju's investment environment and strategic industries such as artificial intelligence and future mobility, while also showcasing innovative technologies developed by early-stage startups.

In addition, in collaboration with the KOTRA Osaka Trade Center, the delegation expanded its cooperation base by holding presentations on open innovation cases, legal advisory sessions related to investment, and networking meetings.

In particular, early-stage startups from Gwangju, including Biocom, GreenCore, and AutoL, held a mini pitching competition together with local startups, presenting their innovative items. The event attracted significant interest from Japanese investors, demonstrating the potential of Gwangju's startup ecosystem.

The Gwangju delegation also sought meetings with major local companies and investment firms such as Omron, Ono Pharmaceutical, and Kansai Electric Power Venture Capital. They visited "Knowledge Capital," the largest innovation platform in the Kansai region, to share models for industry-academia-research collaboration and support for startup growth, while exploring ways to connect with the Gwangju startup ecosystem.

During the visit, the delegation attended the "Global Startup Expo" and, on September 19, participated in "U-Startup Kansai 2025," a startup pitching competition jointly hosted by major chambers of commerce in Kansai. At these events, Gwangju startups introduced their technologies and sought opportunities for collaboration with local investors and global partners.

Notably, AutoL achieved success on the global startup stage by winning the Knowledge Capital Award in the finals of the pitching competition, which featured 180 companies worldwide. As a prize, the company received a one-year membership to the Knowledge Salon, an exclusive communication space, as well as the privilege of a permanent product display within the exhibition area.

Osaka Knowledge Capital serves as a hub for companies and research institutions, housing innovation labs of major Japanese corporations such as Panasonic, NEC, and NTT. In May, it signed a business agreement with the National Asia Culture Center to promote cultural and artistic exchange.

AutoL was established as a spin-off from Hyundai Motor Company’s in-house venture program and develops object recognition LiDAR sensors, offering differentiated competitiveness in the fields of autonomous vehicles and robotics. This award once again demonstrates the global competitiveness of the Gwangju startup ecosystem.

Kim Namcheon, Director of the Investment Industrial Complex Division, stated, "Gwangju is a leading city for future industries in Korea, with solid competitiveness in artificial intelligence, future mobility, and energy sectors. The recent investment promotion activities in Osaka and Kansai have provided an opportunity for companies from both countries to create new models of cooperation and for Gwangju to achieve further growth."