Kanpur/Seoul, Dec 16: The Entrepreneurship Cell, IIT Kanpur, has established a partnership with Unicorn Incubator, South Korea, bringing UpStart 2025, its flagship business model pitching competition, to the Korean Peninsula, focusing on dynamic Korean startups that are ready to take their innovations and ideas to the next level. The event also provided an opportunity to gain exposure, mentorship, and resources for South Korean startups, opening a direct door for early-stage founders to access global mentors, investors, and markets.
In partnership with Unicorn Incubator, UpStart 2025 in South Korea was hosted on Friday, December 12th in KITA Startup Space, COEX, Seoul. The event hosted 12 startups, along with prominent investors and VCs. Evify, one of the Upstart India regional winners, along with Indian Delegation from Startup India were also present at this cross borders event. The event also marked the first time in the event’s history to be hosted in an international venue, highlighting the growth of UpStart and IIT Kanpur’s Entrepreneurship Cell over the years.
Winners of the 5 UpStart rounds (Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai & Seoul) would now compete with their final pitches during the UpStart finale at the IIT Kanpur campus, during the E-Summit from January 23rd-25th, 2026.
Speaking on the milestone, the Entrepreneurship Cell team from IIT Kanpur shared, “The Republic of Korea has one of the most vibrant startup ecosystems in the world, and to bring UpStart 2025 in Seoul, it is a grand milestone for the IIT Kanpur Entrepreneurship Cell. We are focused at fostering innovation and entrepreneurship among aspiring startups by providing a platform where founders can showcase their ideas, gain mentorship and connect with investors. By connecting with the startup ecosystem in South Korea, we are essentially collaborating the Indian and South Korean startup cultures and innovation, helping both to learn from each other while growing jointly.”
The UpStart 2025 has recently been organized across four cities in India — Delhi-NCR, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai. The regional events were participated in by numerous entrepreneurs with exciting ideas and innovation, and winners among them would receive a chance to participate in the Finals of the event at the IIT Kanpur campus in January 2026. As part of the regionals chapter, winners from the Seoul event would join a pool of startups where one winner will receive a fully sponsored opportunity, inclusive of a round-trip airfare and accommodation to attend E-Summit 2025 at IIT Kanpur.
The expansion of UpStart 2025 marks the opening of a direct bridge between emerging Indian founders and a global ecosystem that does not hesitate to back bold, early bets. It also highlights raising the bar on what a campus-driven entrepreneurial community can execute. Furthermore, this also puts IIT Kanpur on the global entrepreneurial map, positioning it to become an instrumental cog in the wheel for years to come.