Where is AroundX headquartered?

AroundX is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

When was AroundX founded?

AroundX was founded in 2019. It is based in Seoul, South Korea.

Where is AroundX located?

AroundX is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

What funding stage is AroundX at?

AroundX is currently at the Active stage.

AroundX

NOT A PRIVATE COMPANY: AroundX is a South Korean government-run open innovation program (operated by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups / MSS, administered by KISED) that connects Korean startups with multinational corporate partners such as OpenAI, Mercedes-Benz, NVIDIA, and Microsoft — it has no independent CEO, product, or startup-style funding rounds. AroundX was founded in 2019. Based in Seoul, South Korea.

Founded: 2019
Headquarters: Seoul, South Korea

Value proposition

Provides Korean startups with access to global corporate R&D networks, PoC collaboration, co-marketing, and international market-entry pathways via a state-backed matchmaking program.

Products and solutions

Open innovation program tracks: AC (Accelerating) track and OI (Open Innovation) track pairing startups with 17+ global corporate partners

Target customer

Korean startups seeking global corporate partnerships and market access

Industries served

Cross-vertical (AI, mobility, biotech, manufacturing) — program-level, not company-level

How they differentiate

AroundX focuses specifically on pairing established Korean startups with large multinational corporations (OpenAI, Mercedes-Benz, NVIDIA, etc.) for PoC/co-development, whereas KSGC focuses on bringing foreign startups into the Korean market and TIPS provides direct R&D funding.

Main competitors

K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC, run by NIPA/MSS since 2016) is the closest analog — another government-backed program connecting startups with global corporate/accelerator networks, TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup Korea) is another state-run startup support scheme. These are complementary/overlapping public programs, not commercial competitors in a market sense.

Key partnerships

Google Play (founding partner, 2019), NVIDIA, Microsoft, AWS, Dassault Systèmes, Ansys, Siemens, Oracle, IBM, Intel, L'Oréal Korea, Thales

Major milestones

2019: Program launched (pilot with Google Play), 2025 (Dec): 4 new partners added (OpenAI, Mercedes-Benz, HP, Astellas) bringing total to 17 global corporate partners, announced at COMEUP 2025

Growth metrics

Since 2019: ~1,600+ startups supported; ~4,000 jobs created and KRW 603B (~$460M) cumulative investment attracted by program graduates (2019-2024, per MSS)

Market positioning

Government-backed national open-innovation platform, not a market-competing private company

Geographic focus

South Korea

Latest news about AroundX

OpenAI and Mercedes-Benz are joining Korea's AroundX platform, expanding global deep-tech collaboration. This partnership elevates Korea as a major AI and deep-tech startup hub in Asia-Pacific. With 1

Official website: https://www.kised.or.kr/menu.es?mid=a20211030000