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Busan’s Promising Startups Gather in One Place for 2026 BUNICORN Pitch Day

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, and the Busan Startup Investment Agency announced that they will hold the 2026 BUNICORN Pitch Day at 1:30 p.m. today, September 3, at the Busan Port International Exhibition & Convention Center (BPEX).

The 2026 BUNICORN Pitch Day is the first event to integrate demo days previously operated separately under individual startup support programs. It is designed to showcase the achievements of participating companies and expand investment opportunities by connecting them with investors.

“BUNICORN,” a name combining “Busan” and “Unicorn,” represents the City’s initiative to foster startups according to their stage of growth.

The growth stages are BUNICORN Seed for pre-startups, BUNICORN Build for early-stage startups, BUNICORN Boost for startups entering the scale-up stage, and BUNICORN for promising high-growth companies.

Since April, the 150 companies selected in March for support programs tailored to their respective growth stages have participated in a range of programs, including business model advancement and investment capacity building, to strengthen their competitiveness.

Of these companies, 34 advanced to the finals following preliminary evaluations. At this demo day, they will showcase their achievements, technologies, business models, and growth potential as they compete to be selected as outstanding companies.

In particular, eight companies, comprising five BUNICORN Boost companies and three BUNICORN companies, will take the stage to deliver public investor relations pitches, directly presenting their business performance and future growth strategies to investors.

Outstanding companies selected through the final evaluation will receive differentiated commercialization funding. The City will also help ensure that the achievements and potential demonstrated at the demo day translate into actual commercialization and corporate growth.

A one-on-one customized investment consultation program will also be held alongside the event to facilitate substantive investment opportunities.

Major accelerators and venture capital firms from the capital region and other investors will participate in intensive 35-minute one-on-one investment consultations with companies matched in advance. The consultations are expected to provide companies with in-depth feedback and create practical opportunities for securing investment, including potential follow-up investment reviews.

A separate artificial intelligence investment session will also be held to examine the technologies and business models of startups in the artificial intelligence and deep-tech sectors from an investor’s perspective and expand opportunities for follow-up investment.

Through this event, Busan Metropolitan City plans to go beyond simply promoting the achievements of local startups by expanding opportunities for actual investment and business collaboration through direct engagement with investors. The City will continue to support companies with strong growth potential so that they can develop into leading enterprises representing Busan.

Lee Dong-yeop, Director General of Finance and Startup Policy at Busan Metropolitan City, said, “This BUNICORN Pitch Day is Busan’s first integrated demo day bringing together startups from the pre-startup stage through promising high-growth companies in one place. In particular, we will support companies in showcasing their achievements to investors and help connect them with substantive investment and business collaboration opportunities through one-on-one investment consultations and meetups.”