Third online briefing Sunday, Sept. 13, 8 p.m. KST… eight sectors open, from energy and battery to K-Beauty and K-Food, with a year of follow-up support
K-EnterTech Hub (케이엔터테크허브) holds a third online briefing for K-Nevada Gateway 2026 at 8 p.m. Korea time on Sunday, September 13. The session runs on Zoom and takes no advance registration.
The program takes ten teams and seats remain open. The original application deadline was September 12; the organizers decided to keep taking applications for the remaining places and scheduled one more briefing. Two earlier briefings were held on August 28 and September 7.
The program is built around what follows the four days on the ground rather than the four days themselves. Meetings opened in Reno move into PoCs and pilot validations, three months of legal, IP, visa and incorporation advice are attached, and the thread carries into the CES 2027 track in Las Vegas in January.
The program runs in Reno, Nevada, from September 28 to October 1, organized by K-EnterTech Hub with The Way Company (더웨이컴퍼니) and Pacemakers (페이스메이커스). The second briefing set out for the first time in detail how the program relates to Reno Startup Week 2026. The dates do not merely touch: the entire four-day schedule sits inside the Reno Startup Week window of September 28 to October 2.
The whole program sits inside Reno Startup Week… teams enter as affiliates
Reno Startup Week is a free event organized by Northern NV Now (노던 네바다 나우) and sponsored by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development (GOED). The first edition in 2023 drew about 550 registrants, and the following year the organizers expanded to more than 60 daytime sessions. 2026 is the fourth edition.
Because K-Nevada Gateway teams enter as affiliates, they attend sessions and headline events without additional cost or a separate process. Sessions run across the city — centered on The Paloma, a design studio in the downtown former post office building, and extending to the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) Innevation Center, the Fourth Street Brewery District and the Atwood building rooftop. The NCET Innovation Summit opens the week.
The Reno Startup Week 2026 official site. Registration is free and attendees build personal schedules through the Whova app. Image = Reno Startup Week
Eight sectors open… the local counterpart changes with the sector
Recruiting runs across eight sectors: energy and battery, semiconductor and AI, medical and health tech, AI and content and media, drone and mobility, agtech and cleantech, entertech and fandom, and K-Beauty and K-Food. Teams join the same program, but who they meet depends on the sector.
Battery, cleantech, solar and ESS companies plug into the Tesla Gigafactory ecosystem. AI solutions, semiconductor design and HPC connect to the Nevada AI hub and the Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR); digital health and medical AI to a Renown Health PoC and the NCAR bioscience incubator. K-content, AI media and XR run through Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) channels and cooperation with UNR VARI Core.
For UAM, eVTOL and physical AI, the FAA-designated unmanned aircraft test airspace is itself the validation ground. Agricultural technology and water and environment work sits with the Desert Research Institute (DRI) and the UNR College of Agriculture, while performance and fandom tech and XR live carry into the Las Vegas ecosystem and CES 2027. Consumer goods, including cosmetics and food and beverage, meet Nevada distribution channels and the Korean-American consumer network rather than research institutions. K-Beauty and K-Food is the sector added this year.
Startup World Cup regional round… US$1 million investment for the global winner
The week includes the Reno regional round of the Startup World Cup. Regional rounds run in more than 70 cities worldwide and each city winner advances to the San Francisco final, where the prize is a US$1 million investment from Pegasus Tech Ventures. Evening events are sponsored by Google, PNC Bank, Dell and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO).
For participating teams, that adds a second venue on top of the showcase and one-on-one meetings already booked: a week in which local venture investors and founders are gathered in the same place.
2,000 California tech companies in five years… no state income tax
Over the past five years Reno has absorbed some 2,000 tech companies relocating from California along with facilities from Tesla, Panasonic, Google and Switch. Federal Tech Hub designation in October 2023 brought US$21 million in federal support. The Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center (TRIC) covers 107,000 acres, and the Tesla Gigafactory alone employs more than 11,000 people. The data center power pipeline reaches 3.4 gigawatts, and Vantage opened a US$3 billion AI data center campus in April 2026.
Nevada levies neither corporate nor personal income tax. The Reno-Sparks population passed 600,000 in 2024 and living costs run about 30 percent below major California cities, which lowers both entity operating costs and the cost of keeping staff on the ground in the early stage of entry.
Reno is three and a half hours by car from San Francisco and the Bay Area, and an 80-minute flight from Las Vegas. TRIC, where Tesla, Panasonic and Switch sit, is 30 minutes by car. Source = K-EnterTech Hub (케이엔터테크허브)
Reno-Tahoe International Airport (RNO) is about four kilometers from downtown and handled 4.91 million passengers in 2025. Lake Tahoe is an hour away by car, close enough to pair meetings with a resort schedule.
Day 2 showcase in six-minute pitches… Day 3 in 30-minute company meetings
The program opens on September 28 with arrival in Reno, orientation and a welcome dinner at Whitney Peak Hotel. The next day GOED, Northern NV Now and UNR brief participants on market, policy and site conditions, and companies deliver six-minute sector pitches at the UNR Center for Global Engagement in the K-Startup Showcase. Northern NV Now, GOED, the Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR) and local venture investors attend as the audience, and education sessions on Nevada incorporation, IP and legal practice follow in the afternoon.
September 30 is filled with 30-minute one-on-one meetings per company, with StartUpNV, FundNV, AngelNV and Mission Law Firm. Each company works through its own investment review stage, entity type and visa questions, and contract structure. A plan to set up participant booths at the UNR Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship is still under discussion.
Nine sites on Day 4… from the Tesla Gigafactory to NCAR
Sites on the final day are split into four tracks by business area. Energy and battery companies visit the Tesla Gigafactory, Panasonic Energy and Dragonfly Energy. Medical and health tech go to Renown Health, Nevada’s largest healthcare institution, the NCAR bioscience incubator and the UNR School of Medicine. Drone and mobility go to Nevada Autonomous, NCAR and the Desert Research Institute (DRI); AI, data and content go to the Switch Citadel campus, UNR VARI Core and the UNR Innevation Center.
Because UNR operates FAA-designated unmanned aircraft test airspace, drone and unmanned-systems companies can verify the conditions on site — 1,000 square miles north of Reno, beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight up to 300 pounds and below 18,000 feet. The Switch Citadel campus is Tier IV and runs on 100 percent renewable energy.
Korea Night at Reno Public Market on Sept. 30… five LA offices attending
Korea Night 2026 runs from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. on September 30 at Reno Public Market under the theme "Business Meetup K-Night: Next K-Wave & EnterTech." A K-pop opening stage is followed by VIP remarks, a keynote, and themed tables split across deep tech and energy, healthcare, AI and XR, and drone and mobility. The venue also hosts Reno Startup Week community events, which brings local attendees through the same door. The event is organized with the Korean Association of Reno.
Confirmed attendees are the Korean Cultural Center Los Angeles (주로스앤젤레스 한국문화원) and the Consul for Economic Affairs, together with the Los Angeles offices of Chungcheongnam-do (충청남도), Jeollanam-do (전라남도) and Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시). Visits by mayors and governors moved to CES week in January 2027 because Korea’s National Assembly audit season overlaps with the September dates, and city-to-city MOU signings moved with them. The LA offices are resident organizations and can serve as follow-up channels after the program. A tasting and display booth for Gwangju-Jeonnam Metropolitan City (광주전남통합특별시) regional products is under discussion.
A year follows the four days… support running into CES 2027
The organizers carry local partner matching and follow-up scheduling for a year after the program closes. In October they compile the results of the meetings held in Reno and re-connect the partners who showed interest; from October through December they match PoCs and pilot validations with Renown Health, NCAR and Nevada Autonomous.
R&D cooperation with the UNR Center for Global Engagement runs year-round, keeping joint research, internship and academic channels open. K-Nevada Bridge handles legal, IP and visa advice and local incorporation consulting for three months, and connects participating companies to the K-Startup Nevada Investment Club to continue investment discussions.
The last link is CES 2027 in Las Vegas in January. Discussions opened in Reno in September resume four months later on an exhibition and meeting track, and the Day 4 closing ceremony carries the theme "From Reno to CES 2027." K-EnterTech Hub is preparing a Las Vegas seminar and regional delegation schedules during CES 2027 week.
Lake Tahoe, an hour by car from Reno. The region sees more than 300 clear days a year, with the Sierra Nevada range around the city. Photo = K-EnterTech Hub (케이엔터테크허브)
Four teams in 2025… incorporation in Reno and joint research with UNR
Four teams took part in the 2025 edition. MAZE (메이즈) incorporated in Reno and started a PoC, discussing a MICE data validation partnership with Summit Mall and the convention center. LEDON (엘이디온) began joint smart-farm research with the UNR College of Agriculture, verifying the energy savings of QD LED greenhouses and applying for a CES Innovation Award. KimCaddie (김캐디) worked out distribution and marketing cooperation with local golf and sports-tech operators, and SPASS (슈파스) found validation partners among local medical and health-tech institutions.
Investment discussions ran with Battle Born Venture, Ozmen Ventures and the Reno seed fund. At that year’s Korea Night, the Nevada chapter of the Korean-American Scientists and Engineers Association (KSEA) was founded, and participating companies joined the K-Startup Nevada Investment Club to continue investment matching and joint R&D discussions. The 2026 edition drops the Las Vegas leg and concentrates on Reno.
US$7,500 covers ten items… selection turns on five criteria
The fee is US$7,500 per team. It covers the showcase, one-on-one matching meetings, a Korea Night invitation, the Day 4 site visits, affiliate participation in Reno Startup Week, three nights of accommodation, all meals, local transport, education sessions on legal, IP and visa matters, three months of K-Nevada Bridge follow-up support, and support for the CES 2027 link. Airfare is paid separately.
Selection weighs the fit between the eight recruiting sectors and local Nevada demand; readiness for U.S. entry, including English IR materials and the state of incorporation, IP and certification; the likelihood of connecting to a PoC, pilot or distribution partner; the ability to deliver a six-minute English pitch and handle Q&A; and the intent to follow through on the three-month schedule after the program. Applicants hear back individually within 48 hours, and selected teams go through onboarding that reviews the English pitch deck and surveys preferred meeting partners.
Third briefing meeting ID 893 2054 5183… passcode 419728, no registration
The access address for the third briefing is https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89320545183. The meeting ID is 893 2054 5183 and the passcode is 419728; opening the link enters the passcode automatically. Meeting chat is at https://us06web.zoom.us/launch/jc/89320545183, and dial-in runs through +1 669 900 6833 or +1 689 278 1000 with the meeting ID and passcode.
Applications and the detailed schedule are at https://knevada.com, where the online form can be submitted directly and applicants hear back individually within 48 hours. Inquiries go to Jung Han (한정훈), CEO of K-EnterTech Hub, at existen75@kentertechhub.com or +1 812 837 7424.
Left, the Zoom room for the September 13 briefing; right, the K-Nevada Gateway 2026 official site. Image = K-EnterTech Hub (케이엔터테크허브)
Sources = the third K-Nevada Gateway 2026 briefing notice (September 8, 2026) and presentation materials from the second online briefing; K-Nevada Gateway 2026 official site (knevada.com); Reno Startup Week official site (renostartupweek.com); U.S. Department of Commerce Tech Hub announcement; TRIC and Northern NV Now materials. Quotation marks indicate wording as published; text without them is a summary.