A Korean technology delegation in Atlanta · October 13–16, 2026
K-Georgia Innovation Mission 2026 (Atlanta, Oct. 13–16) pairs ten Korean tech companies with the Venture Atlanta Conference, and this document covers everything that makes it run: who is coming, what happens each day, the Korean Desk on the conference floor
Jung Han4 min read분 읽기
P R O G R A M D O C U M E N T
K-Georgia Innovation Mission 2026
Organizers YM&COMPANY · K-EnterTech Hub
Supported by INKE, International Network of Korean Entrepreneurs · Korea Venture Business Association
Anchor event Venture Atlanta Conference 2026, October 14–15 · ventureatlanta.org
K-Georgia Innovation Mission 2026 brings a delegation of ten Korean technology companies to Atlanta from October 13 to 16, built around the Venture Atlanta Conference. This document sets out the program in full — the delegation's composition, the daily schedule, the Korean Desk arrangement inside Venture Atlanta, the standalone K-Startup Georgia event, site visit candidates, and how partner organizations can engage.
Midtown Atlanta, host district for the Venture Atlanta Conference. Image: Venture Atlanta
At a glance
Program
K-Georgia Innovation Mission 2026
Dates
October 13 (Tue) – 16 (Fri), 2026 · three nights, four days
Location
Atlanta and Gwinnett County, Georgia, USA
Organizers
YM&COMPANY · K-EnterTech Hub
Supported by
INKE, International Network of Korean Entrepreneurs · Korea Venture Business Association
Anchor event
Venture Atlanta Conference 2026 — October 14–15, Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall
Presence on site
Korean Desk inside the Venture Atlanta venue, operating October 14–15. Agreed with the conference organizers
Delegation event
K-Startup Georgia — October 15, 3:00–6:00 p.m., Curiosity Lab, 147 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092
Where a Korean company should begin in the U.S. depends on where its customers and industrial partners are. Silicon Valley is the familiar gateway, but for companies in automotive and mobility, advanced manufacturing, robotics, logistics, energy, fintech and healthcare, the answer is often elsewhere. Georgia is a working answer rather than a symbolic one.
Automotive and advanced manufacturing
Kia Georgia and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) anchor a supplier base spanning vehicle assembly, components, batteries, automation and logistics. Manufacturing technology, robotics and smart factory companies can survey real demand on the ground.
Technology and financial services
Georgia identifies fintech, cybersecurity, health IT and creative technology as priority sectors. Atlanta is a strong market for finding customers and partners in payments, transaction processing and enterprise technology.
Content and creative industry
Film production tax incentives have made Georgia a leading U.S. production hub, with studios, post-production and virtual production infrastructure clustered around Atlanta.
Logistics and market access
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Port of Savannah, and rail and highway networks make it possible to connect production, distribution and supply chain across the Southeast from a single base.
An established Korea relationship
Georgia has operated a Seoul representative office since 1985, and KOTRA maintains an Atlanta trade office. Over the past decade, Korean companies supported by the state have announced more than USD 24 billion in investment and plans for over 33,600 jobs.
The delegation's purpose is not fundraising alone. It covers customer discovery, proof-of-concept and supplier collaboration, partnership development, and assessment of a local entity or sales presence — testing each company's U.S. market hypothesis on the ground.
The delegation
Ten companies are selected across four tracks, allocated to reflect Georgia's industrial base and the availability of local validation infrastructure. Each applicant selects one primary track, and host organizations are matched accordingly.
Advanced Manufacturing & Automation
Scope
Industrial and collaborative robotics, smart factory and production management (MES/MOM), machine vision and automated inspection, logistics automation (AGV/AMR), supply chain management, industrial hardware, predictive maintenance and quality AI
What they seek
Entry into the Kia Georgia and HMGMA supplier ecosystem; a U.S. production-floor reference
Matched hosts
Georgia Tech AMPF and the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute, Georgia Department of Economic Development, automotive and component manufacturing sites
Smart Infrastructure & Mobility
Scope
Autonomous driving and V2X, connected vehicles, road and traffic infrastructure, smart city platforms, service and delivery robotics, water infrastructure, energy and grid, IoT sensing
What they seek
Testbeds for real-world validation; municipal and public-sector customers
Matched hosts
Curiosity Lab, Partnership Gwinnett, The Water Tower, Georgia Department of Transportation
Healthcare & Life Science Innovation
Scope
Medical AI and imaging, digital health, medical devices, bio IT, hospital-facing B2B solutions, health data and analytics
What they seek
Hospital and payer channel access; FDA pathway guidance and local clinical or validation partners
Matched hosts
Georgia Tech ATDC, the Atlanta health IT cluster, local hospital networks including Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
AI Content & Creative Technology
Scope
Generative AI content production, virtual production, media technology, gaming, XR, fandom and commerce platforms, production automation
What they seek
Georgia's film and production industry and the Atlanta creative cluster as customers and partners; technology supply agreements with U.S. studios and platforms
Matched hosts
Atlanta studios and virtual production facilities, creative technology accelerators
Companies at idea stage without technical validation, and consumer or retail businesses that do not require local industrial partners, are excluded from the delegation.
Program
October 13 is arrival day; the working program runs through October 16. The schedule below is the baseline. Company-specific meetings and industry site visits are assigned individually by track and matching outcome.
Before departure (September)
Timing
Activity
Detail
Early Sept
Online orientation
Program structure, Georgia market overview, introduction to host organizations, delegation companies introduced to one another
Early Sept
Company diagnostic
U.S. market hypothesis, target customer and partner profile, technology maturity and validation record, scope of a proposable proof of concept
Mid Sept
English materials review
Company and product materials restructured for a U.S. audience — problem definition, validation record, PoC proposal, partners required
Mid Sept
Matching request
Each company specifies the types of organizations and companies it wants to meet and the purpose of each meeting
Late Sept
Conference registration
Handled by the organizers on the delegation's behalf
Early Oct
Advance meeting booking
Investor and corporate meetings booked through the conference app; booth equipment and demonstration hardware declared in advance
October 13 (Tue) · Arrival and market briefing
Time
Session
Detail
Morning
Arrival · hotel check-in
Arrival at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, transfer to Midtown accommodation
1:00 – 1:30 p.m.
Orientation
Full schedule briefing, restatement of company objectives, final review of English materials
2:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Market briefingLed by Young Mu Huh, CEO, YM&COMPANY
Industrial map of Georgia and the U.S. Southeast — automotive and mobility, advanced manufacturing, logistics, fintech, health IT, creative
Korean corporate presence and supply chain structure
Briefing on Georgia's industrial and innovation ecosystem and market entry support
Mini showcase — four-minute company presentations
Booth meetings and pre-matched 1:1 meetings with invited organizations
6:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Teardown and consolidation
Booth teardown, contacts collected, next-day meeting list confirmed
October 16 (Fri) · Site visits and 1:1 meetings
Time
Session
Detail
9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Company 1:1 meetings
Available to companies that apply separately and complete prior arrangement
Individual meetings with pre-matched organizations and companies, run in parallel groups
Follow-up on contacts made at the conference and K-Startup Georgia
Scope of proof of concept and pilot, supply terms, next-step scheduling
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Lunch
Interim sharing of meeting outcomes, confirmation of afternoon routing
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Industry site visits
Distributed by track. Adjusted to working-visit format subject to each host's availability
All tracks — Midtown Tech Square district, shared route with Georgia Tech AMPF and ATDC
Smart infrastructure & mobility — Curiosity Lab test infrastructure, Gwinnett County testbeds, The Water Tower
Advanced manufacturing — Georgia Tech AMPF, Kia Georgia or supplier production sites
Healthcare — Atlanta health IT cluster and hospital networks
AI content — Atlanta studios and virtual production facilities
5:00 – 6:00 p.m.
Consolidation
Meeting outcomes and follow-up list compiled, post-return schedule confirmed
After the delegation returns (late October)
Timing
Activity
Detail
Late Oct
Meeting summary
Organization- and company-level meeting summaries, counterpart responses and requested next steps
Late Oct
Priority candidates
Selection of the highest-potential candidates for PoC, supply collaboration or investment discussion, by company
Late Oct
Next-step proposal
Local entity establishment, soft-landing program support, return visit timing
Venture Atlanta attendance and K-Startup Georgia on October 15 are confirmed. The October 13 briefing is delivered directly by the organizers. Morning 1:1 meetings on October 16 are a separately arranged program. Individual meetings and site visits take the form of working sessions rather than formal institutional visits, and are scheduled subject to each host's availability.
Korean Desk at Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta 2026 key visual. Image: Venture Atlanta
Under Venture Atlanta's published criteria, pitching companies must be based in the U.S. Southeast, a territory reaching west to Texas and north to Washington, D.C. Companies incorporated only in Korea cannot participate as official pitching companies in 2026.
Following discussions with Venture Atlanta leadership, YM&COMPANY and K-EnterTech Hub have secured agreement to operate a Korean Desk inside the conference venue on October 14 and 15. Rather than attending only from the audience, the delegation holds a standing position on the conference floor for both days. Companies display English-language materials and product information at the desk and conduct individual meetings there with investors and corporate representatives booked through the conference app.
Venture Atlanta is separately reviewing options to open participation or pitching opportunities to international companies, including those from Korea, beginning in 2027. This year's Korean Desk is the starting point of that conversation.
About Venture Atlanta
Founded in 2007 and now in its nineteenth year, Venture Atlanta is the U.S. Southeast's flagship venture conference. It positions itself as the region's gateway to capital, connections and opportunity, and the case it makes for attending rests on density rather than scale — the highest concentration of active venture investors in the Southeast, pitching companies vetted by board members and industry experts, and programming built for founders, investors and corporates.
Dates
October 14 (Wed) – 15 (Thu), 2026
Venue
Woodruff Arts Center and Atlanta Symphony Hall, Midtown Atlanta
Who attends
Startup founders, VC / PE / CVC, corporate and corporate innovation leads, universities and startup support organizations, service providers
Programming
Startup pitches, investor and corporate networking, industry panels, executive sessions, deep tech track, Startup Showcase Live
Cumulative results
USD 22.3 billion in exits, USD 8.8 billion raised, over 1,000 alumni companies, 1,600+ annual attendees, 500+ active investors, 200+ investment funds
Pitch audience
Not only investors — procurement teams are among those in the room, opening a path to supply agreements and proof-of-concept work as well as investment
The 2025 Venture Atlanta Conference at Atlanta Symphony Hall. Photo: Venture Atlanta
2025 in numbers
The 2025 conference drew a record 1,600 attendees, with 425 investors and 100 sponsors. Companies came from 19 industry sectors and 14 states; 65% of selected companies were based outside Georgia.
Pitch selection funnel, 2025 (number of companies). Source: Venture Atlanta
Of 560 applicants, 85 were selected and 50 presented on stage, with 11 reaching the finals. Selected companies comprised 45 at pre-seed, 23 at early stage and 17 at growth stage.
Stage composition of the 85 selected companies, 2025. Source: Venture Atlanta
At Startup Showcase Live 2025, PromptWrx — which processes hospital insurance claim denials with AI agents — won a USD 375,000 investment prize. Finalists included CivicReach, a vertical AI company supporting government customer service; Franzy, a franchise transaction platform; Gale, an HSA/FSA payment solution; and Captain Compliance, a privacy compliance company.
An industry session at the Venture Atlanta Conference. Photo: Venture Atlanta
Venture Atlanta's published 2025 attendee list included more than 200 investment funds and corporate innovation groups — among them Accel, Andreessen Horowitz, Vista Equity Partners, QED Investors, TTV Capital, BIP Ventures, Tech Square Ventures, Insight Partners, Noro-Moseley Partners and General Catalyst, alongside corporate venture arms including Caterpillar Ventures, Allstate Strategic Ventures, Assurant Ventures, Home Depot Ventures, Socium Ventures by Cox and Southwire Technology Ventures.
On the corporate side, Google, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, Invesco, FIS Global, Fiserv, Intuit, Southern Company, The Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Inspire Brands, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, LexisNexis Risk Solutions and Kolon USA took part. In 2025, a corporate procurement session hosted by Inspire Brands included business, sourcing and contracting leads from Southern Company, Fiserv and The Home Depot.
The organizations listed attended in 2025 and their listing does not indicate 2026 attendance or the availability of individual meetings. The 2026 investor and corporate roster is released progressively ahead of the conference.
K-Startup Georgia · October 15
Attending a conference does not by itself create contact points. On the final conference day, the delegation hosts its own event from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. at Curiosity Lab in Peachtree Corners. The venue is booked.
Curiosity Lab is a living laboratory where connected mobility, infrastructure and logistics technologies are built and validated in a live urban environment. Startups, corporate innovation teams, universities and global partners run pilots there. It is both the venue and, in itself, a view of the Southeast's industrial infrastructure — and it connects to the Gwinnett County testbed visits scheduled the following day.
Main Event Space at Curiosity Lab, venue for K-Startup Georgia. Photo: Curiosity Lab
Confirmed participating organizations
Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC)
Economic development and corporate attraction for metropolitan Atlanta. Covers industry cluster conditions and support channels for arriving companies
Gwinnett County
County government hosting Curiosity Lab. Responsible for test infrastructure and corporate attraction policy
Startup Atlanta
Connector organization for Atlanta's startup ecosystem. Organizer of the Atlanta Startup Awards
Curiosity Lab leadership team
Living-lab operations. Explains pilot hosting and technology validation collaboration terms
Atlanta Technology Angels (ATA)
Regional angel investment group. A route to understanding early-stage investment criteria and contact pathways
Additional invitations are extended to regional VCs and CVCs, corporate business development and procurement leads, local startups, and members of INKE's U.S. chapters. Each of the ten delegation companies is assigned one booth.
Run of show
Time
Segment
Detail
3:00 – 3:30 p.m.
Registration · booths open
Booth viewing, arrival of invited local organizations
3:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Briefing
Metro Atlanta Chamber and Gwinnett County — Georgia's industrial and innovation ecosystem and market entry support
4:00 – 4:45 p.m.
Mini showcase
Company technology presentations, four minutes each
4:45 – 6:00 p.m.
Networking
Open booth meetings, pre-matched 1:1 meetings, individual consultations with participating organizations
Company presentations are structured around the problem a U.S. customer faces, the core technology and its validation record, the proof of concept or pilot proposed in Georgia, and the customers, partners or investment required — rather than a general company introduction.
Five synced TV screens, one presenter screen, podium, stage with four presenter chairs, sixteen five-foot round tables, 100 attendee chairs, eight handheld microphones
Connectivity
HDMI connection, USB hookup for virtual calls. USB-C-only laptops require an organizer-provided adapter
Booth layout
One booth per delegation company. Table-format booths using the round tables; back walls, lighting and power are separate
Operating conditions
Weekday business hours only. Outside vendors require prior approval and proof of vendor insurance. Setup and teardown completed within the times advised by the venue
Address
147 Technology Parkway, Peachtree Corners, GA 30092 · curiositylabptc.com
Site visits under discussion
Site visits on the afternoon of October 16 are distributed by track. The candidates below are under discussion and may be adjusted to working-visit format depending on each host's capacity.
Inside Georgia Tech's Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility (AMPF), with an Optomec LENS 3D hybrid machine tool and controlled-atmosphere glovebox. Photo: Georgia Tech
Tech Square ATL
Midtown innovation district with the highest concentration of startups, corporate innovation groups, university researchers and students in the Southeast
Tech Square ATL runs a membership community with coworking space, publishes research and startup news, and hosts science and technology events; it also operates the Maestro ecosystem connection platform and a weekly newsletter
Same district as Georgia Tech AMPF and ATDC, allowing a single-day route
All tracks · techsquareatl.com
Georgia Tech AMPF
20,000 sq ft reconfigurable R&D high-bay manufacturing facility in Midtown Atlanta. Flagship facility of the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute (GTMI), established with a gift from the Delta Air Lines Foundation
Additive and hybrid manufacturing, composites, digital manufacturing and Industry 4.0, industrial robotics, with aerospace, automotive and materials companies as industry partners
Manufacturing 4.0 Consortium members are allocated facility time; the facility also serves as a development partner route for SBIR/STTR work
Living lab validating connected mobility, infrastructure and logistics technology in a live urban environment, with an autonomous vehicle test corridor and 5G connectivity
Smart infrastructure and mobility track · curiositylabptc.com
Gwinnett County testbeds · The Water Tower
Industrial validation sites operated with Partnership Gwinnett, and a water infrastructure research facility
Smart infrastructure and mobility track
Kia Georgia
Kia's U.S. vehicle assembly plant in West Point, producing Telluride, Sorento, Sportage, EV6 and EV9
Subject to advance scheduling and confirmation by the company
Advanced manufacturing track
Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA)
Electrified vehicle plant in Ellabell near Savannah, operating an AI- and data-driven automated production system
Arranged as a separate itinerary given travel time
Advanced manufacturing track
Atlanta health IT cluster
Local hospital networks and health IT companies
Healthcare and life science track
Atlanta studios and virtual production facilities
Production and post-production infrastructure formed around Georgia's film production tax incentives
AI content and creative technology track
Site visit destinations are confirmed based on delegation composition and track allocation. All facility visits are subject to prior arrangement and final approval by the host organization or company.
Meeting arrangement process
The delegation does not follow a single uniform itinerary. Companies differ in their stage of U.S. market entry and in the contact points they need. Candidates are identified through a pre-departure diagnostic, and on-site schedules and follow-up are assigned company by company.
Stage
Timing
Detail
Diagnostic
On selection – early Sept
U.S. market hypothesis, target customer and partner profile, technology maturity and validation record, scope of a proposable proof of concept
Matching request
Mid Sept
Each company specifies the types of organizations and companies it wants to meet and the purpose of each meeting
Outreach
Mid Sept – early Oct
Organizers approach candidates through GDEcD, Georgia Tech ATDC and EI2 Global, Partnership Gwinnett, Curiosity Lab and INKE networks, and confirm acceptance
Advance booking
Early Oct
Investor and corporate meetings booked through the conference app
On-site meetings
Oct 13–16
Distributed across the October 13 briefing, Korean Desk meetings and K-Startup Georgia booth meetings on October 14–15, and individual 1:1 meetings on October 16
Follow-up
Late Oct
Meeting summaries, priority candidate list and next-step proposals delivered company by company
Whether a meeting takes place depends on the interest and availability of the counterpart organization or company. The organizers carry out outreach and coordination and do not guarantee any specific meeting, proof of concept, investment or official pitch selection.
Adjacent events during Venture Atlanta week
Several technology and startup events run in Atlanta during the same week. Delegation companies may attend selectively where the schedule allows. Registration and fees follow each organizer's terms.
Events requiring earlier arrival
Avant South — October 12–13. Difficult to attend given a morning arrival on October 13; requires arrival on October 12.
Atlanta Startup Awards — October 12, 5:00–8:30 p.m. One day before the delegation's arrival; requires arrival on October 12.
Augmented Enterprise Summit — October 13–15. Overlaps the delegation program; attendance is accommodated by adjusting host visit scheduling.
VC in DC Roadshow — immediately before Venture Atlanta opens. May be attended in place of the October 13 welcome dinner.
Event
Dates · venue
Detail
Avant South
Oct 12–13Atlanta
Technology and innovation conference hosted by the City of Atlanta with local universities. 2026 theme: 'AI in Action'
Speakers include Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist at OpenAI; Howard Wright, VP of Startup Ecosystem at NVIDIA; Pascal Belaud, EVP and Chief AI & Data Officer at Truist; and Andre Dickens, Mayor of Atlanta
Tracks: public policy and public-private collaboration / AI and supply chain / digital transformation / founders and AI startups / student innovators
Waymo ride-alongs, Rivian truck demonstrations, invitation-only Applied AI Summit
avantsouth.com
Atlanta Startup Awards
Oct 12, 5:00–8:30 p.m.The Biltmore Ballrooms
Hosted by Startup Atlanta. Seated dinner, networking and awards
817 West Peachtree Street NW, Atlanta, GA 30308
Discussion is under way with the organizers on adding a session or program element for the delegation
Augmented Enterprise Summit
Oct 13–15Atlanta
Enterprise AI, XR and digital twin conference hosted by BrainXchange, drawing around 1,200 attendees
Presenters from Target, General Motors, Novartis, Caterpillar, Southwest Airlines, Walmart, PepsiCo, Mars, The Coca-Cola Company, UPS, Mondelez International, The Walt Disney Company and Volvo Group
Sponsors include Dell Technologies, Niantic Spatial, Unity and Pico XR
Well suited to the smart infrastructure and AI content tracks
augmentedenterprisesummit.com
VC in DC Roadshow
Immediately before Venture AtlantaAtlanta
Kick-off happy hour hosted by the Washington, D.C. startup and venture community
Separate registration types for investors and startups, with approval required
luma.com/VCDC-RoadshowAtlanta2026
InnovATL
Around Venture AtlantaAcross Atlanta
A series linking independently hosted innovation and startup events across Atlanta under a single period and brand
The 2026 consolidated schedule has not yet been released
Venture Crawl
During Venture AtlantaAtlanta Tech Village – Tech Square
Ecosystem tour operated by Venture Atlanta
Planned to continue in 2026
How partner organizations can engage
Send a representative to K-Startup Georgia on October 15 and meet the full delegation in a single afternoon
Deliver a short briefing on your organization's programs, entry requirements or partnership pathways during the event
Host a working session or facility visit on the morning or afternoon of October 16 for companies in a matching track
Receive company profiles in advance and indicate which companies you would like to meet
Introduce the delegation to portfolio companies, member firms or supplier networks where a fit exists
Advise on local requirements — regulatory pathways, procurement qualification, incentive programs — relevant to a specific track
Organizers and supporting organizations
YM&COMPANY
Cross-border business development across the U.S., Korea and Japan. Based in Johns Creek, Georgia
Young Mu Huh, CEO — ym@ymandco.com · linkedin.com/in/youngmuhuh
Leads coordination with GDEcD, Georgia Tech ATDC, EI2 Global and AMPF, Partnership Gwinnett and Curiosity Lab
Secured the Korean Desk agreement with Venture Atlanta leadership and delivers the October 13 market briefing
K-EnterTech Hub
Cross-border content studio and industry media covering entertainment technology, streaming and AI. Publishes in Korean and English, operates Korean and global YouTube channels and premium reports. U.S. base at 6955 Speedway Blvd, T104, Las Vegas, NV 89115
Jung Han, CEO — existen75@kentertechhub.com · kentertechhub.com
Operates the Next K-Wave forum during CES and K-Nevada Gateway 2026 in Reno (September 28 – October 1)
Produces delegation company profiles and on-site coverage
INKE
International Network of Korean Entrepreneurs, a global organization under the Korea Venture Business Association, founded in 2000, with 48 chapters and 161 members across 27 countries
Has run market entry support programs and global business meetups in India, Mongolia, Thailand and Vietnam
Supports delegation recruitment and connections with Korean-American business leaders and professionals in the Southeast
inke.org · venture.or.kr
Reference
Venture Atlanta 2026 — https://www.ventureatlanta.org/
Venture Atlanta 2026 event overview — https://www.ventureatlanta.org/event-overview/
Venture Atlanta 2026 schedule — https://www.ventureatlanta.org/schedule/
Venture Atlanta pitch criteria — https://www.ventureatlanta.org/pitch/
Venture Atlanta 2025 results — https://www.ventureatlanta.org/making-moments-that-matter-at-venture-atlanta-2025-conference-highlights/
Curiosity Lab — https://curiositylabptc.com/
Georgia Tech Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Facility — https://ampf.research.gatech.edu/
Tech Square ATL — https://www.techsquareatl.com/
Georgia Tech ATDC — https://atdc.org/
Georgia Department of Economic Development — https://georgia.org/
Avant South 2026 — https://avantsouth.com/
Atlanta Startup Awards 2026 — https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atlanta-startup-awards-2026-tickets-1995472536072
