[K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day]
Unexpected appearance by Altman
Participation in a 10-minute Q&A
"The mission of OpenAI, which aims to provide the benefits of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to all humanity, resembles Korea's 'Hongik Ingan' spirit, which seeks to benefit the human world widely."
"On the 14th (local time) at the 1960 Building in San Francisco, where the OpenAI office is located, even the judges from OpenAI burst into laughter at the passionate presentation by Next Payments during the 'K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day,' jointly organized by OpenAI and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups."
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attended the 'K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day' held at the 1960 Building in San Francisco on the 14th (local time), engaging in conversations with participating startups. Next Payments, the company that launched the AI food ordering platform 'MZZZ' utilizing ChatGPT, received applause for their announcement to benefit small business owners, who comprise 90% of domestic businesses, through collaboration with OpenAI. It's no surprise that Next Payments made it to the final collaboration partners with OpenAI.
The event was initiated following Sam Altman's visit to Korea in June last year. Its purpose was to discover promising AI startups in Korea and explore collaboration opportunities with OpenAI. Out of a total of 220 applicant companies, OpenAI selected 14, and a pitching session was held to choose the final 10 collaboration partners.
Each presenter had only 7 minutes for their presentation and Q&A session, with a signal indicating 2 minutes remaining adding a sense of urgency to the presenters' expressions. Missing out on discussions with the most important OpenAI investment team was a concern. Judges, including VC experts like those from Y Combinator led by CEO Sam Altman, aggressively questioned the startups about potential collaborations with OpenAI and revenue models. But it wasn't all about criticism; after the presentations, there was a 30-minute mentoring session between OpenAI staff and startup representatives.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attended the 'K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day' held at the 1960 Building in San Francisco on the 14th (local time), where he participated in a commemorative photo session with representatives from participating startups, officials from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and representatives from the San Francisco Consulate. Altman's unexpected appearance was a highlight of the event. He encouraged startup representatives and earnestly answered questions for about 10 minutes on topics ranging from the planned release of GPT-5, the future of AI technology, to AI chip production, before departing. An OpenAI representative stated, "While startup pitching events at our headquarters are rare, it's the first time CEO Altman has personally attended one," adding, "Altman also reviewed presentation materials from all 14 participating companies."
After more than four hours of presentations, the final selected companies were announced, including A-Slip, Client, D.K. Medyinfo, Marina Chain, Next Payments, Ninewatt, Run Korean Inc., Turing, Waddle, and We Raise. These startups will receive up to 200 million won in business development funds from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. OpenAI will provide service credits, expert mentoring, and consulting to support their endeavors. Minister of SMEs and Startups, Oh Young-joo, expressed hope that the participating startups would grow into global AI companies with competitive edge through collaboration with OpenAI, stating, "We will continue to expand collaboration with leading global companies in various industries, such as OpenAI, to lead the way in each sector."
NEXTPAYNEWS
[K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day]
Unexpected appearance by Altman
Participation in a 10-minute Q&A
"The mission of OpenAI, which aims to provide the benefits of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) to all humanity, resembles Korea's 'Hongik Ingan' spirit, which seeks to benefit the human world widely."
"On the 14th (local time) at the 1960 Building in San Francisco, where the OpenAI office is located, even the judges from OpenAI burst into laughter at the passionate presentation by Next Payments during the 'K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day,' jointly organized by OpenAI and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups."
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attended the 'K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day' held at the 1960 Building in San Francisco on the 14th (local time), engaging in conversations with participating startups. Next Payments, the company that launched the AI food ordering platform 'MZZZ' utilizing ChatGPT, received applause for their announcement to benefit small business owners, who comprise 90% of domestic businesses, through collaboration with OpenAI. It's no surprise that Next Payments made it to the final collaboration partners with OpenAI.
The event was initiated following Sam Altman's visit to Korea in June last year. Its purpose was to discover promising AI startups in Korea and explore collaboration opportunities with OpenAI. Out of a total of 220 applicant companies, OpenAI selected 14, and a pitching session was held to choose the final 10 collaboration partners.
Each presenter had only 7 minutes for their presentation and Q&A session, with a signal indicating 2 minutes remaining adding a sense of urgency to the presenters' expressions. Missing out on discussions with the most important OpenAI investment team was a concern. Judges, including VC experts like those from Y Combinator led by CEO Sam Altman, aggressively questioned the startups about potential collaborations with OpenAI and revenue models. But it wasn't all about criticism; after the presentations, there was a 30-minute mentoring session between OpenAI staff and startup representatives.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attended the 'K-Startup & OpenAI Matching Day' held at the 1960 Building in San Francisco on the 14th (local time), where he participated in a commemorative photo session with representatives from participating startups, officials from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and representatives from the San Francisco Consulate. Altman's unexpected appearance was a highlight of the event. He encouraged startup representatives and earnestly answered questions for about 10 minutes on topics ranging from the planned release of GPT-5, the future of AI technology, to AI chip production, before departing. An OpenAI representative stated, "While startup pitching events at our headquarters are rare, it's the first time CEO Altman has personally attended one," adding, "Altman also reviewed presentation materials from all 14 participating companies."
After more than four hours of presentations, the final selected companies were announced, including A-Slip, Client, D.K. Medyinfo, Marina Chain, Next Payments, Ninewatt, Run Korean Inc., Turing, Waddle, and We Raise. These startups will receive up to 200 million won in business development funds from the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. OpenAI will provide service credits, expert mentoring, and consulting to support their endeavors. Minister of SMEs and Startups, Oh Young-joo, expressed hope that the participating startups would grow into global AI companies with competitive edge through collaboration with OpenAI, stating, "We will continue to expand collaboration with leading global companies in various industries, such as OpenAI, to lead the way in each sector."