The Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup and Entrepreneurship Development (KISED) announced that on the 25th, they held the '2025 Super Gap Project Global IR in Tokyo' event to provide full support for domestic super gap startups' entry into the Japanese market.
This event is part of the investment attraction program of the 'Super Gap Startup 1000+ Project' being promoted by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and KISED. It aims to facilitate the entry of promising domestic deep tech startups into the global value chain and market expansion through strategic links with local venture capital firms (CVC, VC) and large corporations.
In particular, this event will go beyond the existing single corporate explanation (IR) demo day format to include a multifaceted program designed for the Japan entry of super gap startups, such as technology matching-based PoC programs with Japanese large corporations, reverse pitching for local investors, and legal and intellectual property (IP) mentoring.
A total of 13 super gap startups, which possess high technology capabilities in core areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, future mobility, system semiconductors, and eco-friendly energy that have recently attracted significant investment demand and technical attention in Japan, participated in this event.
Ahead of the event, a program was conducted domestically for about two months to enhance understanding of the Japanese market. Various pre-activities, including seminars with senior startup companies that have entered Japan, one-on-one IR mentoring for Japanese investors, and pre-technical meetups with Japanese large corporations, were conducted to improve the local adaptability and the quality of technology pitching of participating corporations.
On the first day of the event, the 25th, a concentrated operation of technology matching and open innovation-based PoC programs was conducted with the participation of 10 major corporations in Japan (NTT DATA, PayPay, Rakuten, Panasonic, OKI, etc.).
This session consisted of one-on-one technology matching meetings, where participating startups proposed their core technologies based on the needs of each large corporation and discussed practical collaboration models and PoC methods.
On the 26th, an IR demo day will be held where domestic super gap startups will directly introduce their technologies and business models to key VCs and CVCs in Japan.
Before the demo day, there will be a reverse pitching session where Japanese CVCs will introduce their investment principles, fund characteristics, and areas of interest, followed by IR pitching and Q&A sessions from the 13 super gap startups. Major investment institutions like Salesforce Ventures, Global Brain, Toshiba Tec, 500 Global, and Shinhan Ventures are expected to participate in the demo day.
Moreover, a panel talk with experts is scheduled to enhance understanding of the Japanese deep tech investment ecosystem. In-depth discussions are expected to revolve around the expansion potential of Japanese startups within the global manufacturing value chain, trends of government-led funds, and case studies of open innovation cooperation between Korea and Japan.
On the last day of the event, the 27th, participants will have the opportunity to establish practical strategies for entering Japan through one-on-one mentoring sessions with experts in fields such as law, IP, accounting, and marketing.
In particular, this mentoring has been planned to reflect the pre-demand of super gap startups, and will provide advice aimed at addressing practical barriers to entering the Japanese market, including Go-to-Market strategies, IP-based exit scenarios, and points to consider when establishing local partnerships.
Additionally, follow-up meetups with local VCs and CVCs and discussions on cross-border collaboration will continue to connect the network established during the demo day with specific business opportunities.