K-Startup Day 2026
K-Startup Day connects next-generation Korean tech startups with European investors and business leaders.
Now in its fourth year, the event opens Slush week by bringing 30+ Korean startups to Helsinki. This year's cohort covers construction and infrastructure, smart cities, mobility, energy, defence, and AI: companies with proven technology looking for their first European customers, partners, and investors.
The evening program puts ten pre-selected startups on stage for a live pitching competition judged by Finnish investors and corporate leaders. Alongside the pitches, Seung-Goo Kim, co-founder of Baestyle, shares his journey of building a €17M K-beauty business in Finland and expanding across Europe.
The event is organized by Vertical, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Helsinki Partners, KAIA (Korea Agency for Infrastructure Technology Advancement), KISED (Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development), KOTRA (Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Nautilus, and Seoul Business Agency.
Pitching competition winners receive awards from Moomin Arabia by Fiskars, Baestyle (Yeppo & Soonsoo), and Helsinki Partners.
Registration opens in early October. For questions and inquiries, contact Anna Kakkonen at anna@vertical.vc.
I'm a strategist and facilitator specializing in AI adoption and organizational change for pharmaceutical companies, with a parallel track record in startup acceleration – having worked with hundreds of Korean startups and helped a select number successfully expand into European and global markets. Over the past few years I've built Vertical's AI practice from the ground up, designing and running programs around the world that have reached over a thousand professionals in Medical Affairs, Market Access, Commercial and leadership functions. My work sits at the intersection of strategy and execution: I'm most useful when there's an ambiguous challenge that needs shaping into something actionable, and when getting people genuinely capable matters more than getting them briefly inspired.