Chungnam hosts startup festival to boost regional innovation

The ‘Everyone’s Startup Festival in Chungnam, NEXT STAGE’ has commenced in Cheonan, aiming to bridge the gap between metropolitan and non-metropolitan startup environments. Co-hosted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and Chungcheongnam-do, the two-day event brings together approximately 1,500 participants, including 250 promising startups, investors, and representatives from universities and major corporations.

Asan City is utilizing the festival to accelerate the development of an ‘Asan-style Silicon Valley,’ focusing on high-tech industries such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors, displays, and future mobility. The city aims to establish a virtuous cycle of entrepreneurship that spans from idea discovery and technology development to investment attraction and global expansion.

The program features various sessions, including the ‘A-Tech Forum,’ global insight sessions with experts from San Francisco, investment IR sessions, and open innovation meetups. These initiatives are designed to strengthen the regional startup ecosystem by connecting local industry, academia, research, and investment capabilities.