NextRise Seoul 2026
June 18-19, 2026 - Seoul
On June 18 and 19, 2026, France was the Guest of Honor at NextRise Seoul at COEX. For La French Tech Seoul, this was an opportunity to bring our community together around a shared ambition: building stronger connections between French innovation and the Korean ecosystem.
With 16 startups from our community joining the Team France pavilion, the event showcased a diverse range of technologies and entrepreneurial projects. It also marked a special moment as France and Korea celebrated 140 years of diplomatic relations.
Bringing French innovation to Seoul
The French Innovation Zone brought together companies working across AI, biotechnology, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, manufacturing, and digital content.
Among the delegation, Yindii focused on reducing food waste through its surplus food marketplace, while Foundry brought expertise in AI development and workflow automation. Wise-integration combined gallium nitride technology and digital control for power electronics, and Edushorts presented an approach to corporate learning built around short, interactive content.
QIMA Life Sciences, Planisware Korea, EDITH by Patchwork, and Ortcloud illustrated the breadth of business needs addressed by the delegation, from scientific testing and project management to data sovereignty and cloud infrastructure.
The diversity continued with NEIRA FIT, connecting garment specifications with production needs; KFTV, bringing Korean entertainment and culture to European audiences; IT-Concept, working on cybersecurity with technologies including GLIMPS; and IRVIS, combining machine vision and collaborative robotics for manufacturing.
Together, these companies reflected the variety of our community and its connections across France, Korea, and the wider Asian market.
Beyond luxury and gastronomy
Alongside the pavilion, the French conference programme put the spotlight on France’s role in innovation and frontier technologies.
The opening session, “Beyond Luxury and Gastronomy: France as a Global Leader in Innovation and Frontier Technologies,” brought together the institutional and community perspectives behind Team France.
Two panels framed the programme: France’s attractiveness as an innovation hub, moderated by Isabelle Morin, Co-President of La French Tech Seoul, and France and Korea as strategic partners for innovation, moderated by Raphaël Lee, Economic Counsellor at the French Embassy to Korea.
The programme raised questions that matter to founders, investors, and businesses in both countries. What helps innovative companies grow internationally? How can financing, talent, and market access support that growth? And where can French and Korean expertise create opportunities for cooperation?
These themes placed international collaboration at the centre of the French presence at NextRise.
A community built on connections
For La French Tech Seoul, this participation also reflected ten years of community building since our founding in 2016.
NextRise offered a place to put that mission into practice, bringing our members closer to potential partners and introducing visitors to the people behind their projects.
Many thanks to the French Embassy to Korea, Business France, FKCCI, the French Foreign Trade Advisors, and KITA for their work in making France’s Guest of Honor participation possible.
Thank you to all participating companies, speakers, volunteers, and visitors who joined us at COEX. We look forward to continuing these connections within the French-Korean tech community!
Team France
