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Kyung Hee has been selected for both the 2026 RISE (Regional Innovation System for Entrepreneurship) Project and the Seoul City Campus Town Project Startup Project (Startup Category)

A dual designation that formally acknowledges Kyung Hee's accumulated achievements and efforts as a hub for the technology and new industry startup ecosystem. Together, the two projects establish a continuous support structure spanning the full startup lifecycle, from early-stage growth and technology commercialization to investment linkage, global expansion, and the cultivation of next-generation industry startups under the DIPS (Deep-tech Incubator Project for Startups) framework.

"Campus Town Demo Day," a comprehensive presentation of Kyung Hee's startup support achievements, was held on December 4th at Orvis Hall on the Seoul Campus. Now in its fifth year, the event, themed "AI vs. BIO," brought together leading resident companies from both fields, not to declare a winner, but to show how two distinct logics of innovation might coexist, contend, and translate their technological prowess into growth potential.

Designing Kyung Hee's entrepreneurial future with AI and BIO
In his opening remarks, President Jinsang Kim framed the event around the tension between AI and BIO, saying, "This is a meaningful opportunity where new technologies and values converge, centered on the two pillars of AI and BIO. While AI represents a form of intellectual leverage capable of reorganizing global paradigms, BIO symbolizes sustainable technology that speaks more intimately to our daily lives, protecting life, health, and continuity. The convergence and competition between these two fields is a challenge that goes beyond industrial development and redefines what progress itself is meant to sustain: the future of humanity."

This framing aligns closely with Kyung Hee’s founding philosophy of “Creating a Civilized World” under which the University has been pursuing a future society where technology and the humanities can coexist. Through the Campus Town initiative, that unique vision is translated into practice via startup support and industry-academic collaboration. President Kim concluded his opening remarks by saying, "I hope your creative ideas and spirit of challenge will inject new vitality into both the local community and the industrial ecosystem, allowing AI and BIO not only to compete, but to generate lasting forms of synergy and innovation."


Following this opening, Professor Jae-Hong Park, Vice Director of the RISE Project (Seoul), presented a progress report on the Campus Town initiative and outlined the strategic direction of the RISE project. He highlighted Kyung Hee's growing capacity as a leading university in entrepreneurship, cultivated through its Campus Town project, and announced initiatives to launch a new type of Campus Town starting in 2026. Kyung Hee aims to increase the proportion of AI-based startups to over 50% and cultivate over 160 AI talents annually. Through these efforts, the University plans to establish a Triple Helix model of innovation that combines academia, industry, and institutes, thereby strengthening global competitiveness and deepening its contribution to the local community.


Eight promising AI/BIO startups showcase their technological prowess and growth potential
A total of eight teams from the AI and BIO fields participated in the 5th Demo Day. Through investor relations (IR) pitches, the participating companies shared their business performance and long-term vision while seeking investment opportunities. Technology-based business models spanning healthcare, content automation, task automation, sleep therapy, and new drug development were presented, drawing much attention.

Kyung Hee plans to continue to enhance its AI/BIO-centered startup ecosystem by linking its Campus Town and RISE projects, and to strengthen its role as a startup hub where universities, regions, and industries grow together.