From Seoul to Silicon Valley: UKF 82 Summit 2025 unites 2,000+ Global & Korean founders, VCs, and LPs
Silicon Valley's Finest: Leading AI Scholars and Elite VCs Unite in Full Force!
Korean Founders Who Shook Silicon Valley Hold a Festival
As some of you know, I was completely underwater this January, busy preparing for CES and our flagship "82 Startup Summit." I wanted to share how it went!
Sazze Partners (formerly Primer Sazze) has been hosting the largest Korean-American startup events, the "82 Startup Summit", named for South Korea’s country code and the word "hurry up" in Korean. Now, together with Saeju from Noom, we are bringing it under the umbrella of the non-profit organization "United Korean Founders."
The UKF 82 Startup Summit and UKF Week—which featured over 20 events similar to a16z Tech Week—attracted more than 2,000 participants, including founders, VCs, LPs, and government officials. The event showcased top speakers such as Professor Andrew Ng and Brad Gerstner, along with the Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups.
What began as a small brunch gathering for a few Korean founders at Kiha’s backyard has grown into a vibrant representation of South Korea at the heart of Silicon Valley, bringing together over 2,000 people—including founders, VCs, LPs, and government officials from Korea and the US. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this legacy.
Being part of this journey means a great deal to me personally. I had few opportunities to connect with the Korean community until the 82 Startup Summit in 2020, where I met all the Korean VCs in Silicon Valley that day. That connection eventually led to my current role at Sazze Partners, making this event even more meaningful—talk about coming full circle!
Let me share the highlights from our remarkable sessions. I hope you'll join us for next year's Summit!
VIP Lunch
We had lunch with government officials, including the Vice Minister of SMEs and Startups and the Director of KVIC who came all the way from Seoul, along with leading Silicon Valley VCs whom I've had the pleasure of working with over the years. We had planned to have a session with these VCs, but unfortunately, the timing didn't work out. We'll definitely make it happen next year.
Opening Remarks
The Vice Minister and SF Consul General joined us to deliver opening and congratulatory remarks. They also shared plans for the K-Startup House by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups/Mother Fund in Silicon Valley.
Keynote Speech: Cosmax Story (Kyung-Soo Lee, Chairman)
The Cosmax story that many people loved!
Background of Korean cosmetics rising to second place in the global market and Cosmax's 30-year growth story
Turning the IMF crisis into an opportunity and growing into the world's #1 ODM company collaborating with 3,300 global brands
Emphasized continuing innovation through personalized cosmetics, AI/data utilization, and microbiome research
Keynote Speech: Andrew Ng (AI Fund)
We were honored to have Professor Andrew Ng deliver a keynote speech. As his advisor, I've had the privilege of learning from one of the industry's most influential AI scholars. His continued support of the Korean AI ecosystem has been invaluable, and we're grateful for his ongoing commitment to fostering innovation in this space.
Emphasized that AI will become a general-purpose technology like electricity with countless applications
Currently at a stage similar to the 1960s computer industry dawn, with practicality being key
Suggested more opportunities in AI agents and vertical AI applications
Why AI is bigger than internet and mobile: Brad Gertsner(Altimeter), Ian Park(Sazze)
Brad Gerstner, whom I greatly admire, respect, from Altimeter, joined me on stage to discuss "Why AI is Bigger than Internet and Mobile."
Brad manages $10B in funds and is known for investing in OpenAI, Anduril, Snowflake, etc., and his 2022 criticism of Meta's loose management. Everyone loved his bold criticism of remote work and deep insights.
Predicted AI and Web3 will bring bigger innovations than the Internet and mobile
Emphasized that massive capital is needed for large LLM development, limiting competition to a few companies
Stressed the importance of focusing on "high-quality revenue" generation and cash burn management
I sat right next to him as a moderator and captured a lot of videos with Meta's smart glasses for my YouTube channel!
US VC trend and K-wave: Ethan Choi(Khosla), Iris Choi(Floodgate), Sungjoon Cho(Fortitude)
A fascinating session featuring my friend Ethan, who leads late-stage investments at Khosla, and Iris, who shared her wisdom and represented Floodgate
Silicon Valley top-tier VC Korean partners shared investment strategies and perspectives on Korean startups' global expansion
Korea possesses startup ecosystem potential similar to Israel, with a world-class AI talent pool
Emphasized the importance of understanding global VC evaluation criteria and localization strategies for US market entry
K-Beauty and Beyond: Ki-ho Park (LB), Jung-hee Ryu (Future Play), So-hyung Lee (Skin Angel), Greg Kim (Sazze)
A K-beauty session led by our Greg Kim! Many thanks to Ki-ho Park, Jung-hee Ryu, and So-hyung Lee for sharing their thoughts.
Discussion of K-beauty and global innovation strategies by leaders from LB Investment, Future Play, and Skin Angel
Shared experiences in discovering and nurturing unicorns like HYBE, Musinsa, and Ably
Presented growth potential for startups combining K-culture and technology beyond K-beauty
Sponsor Intro: Myung-soo Kim (Maeil Business Newspaper)
Thanks to Maeil Business Newspaper as our media partner and sponsor.
CEO of Maeil.com delivered a message of support for the UKF 82 Startup Summit
Emphasized the importance of large company-startup cooperation through ASleep case study from CES
Shared recognition of the necessity for large companies to cooperate globally with startups
Path to Disruptive Innovation: Jung-sang Kim (IonQ)
Honestly, I was briefly worried CEO Jung-sang Kim might not come due to stock price drops! Thank you for coming!
IonQ co-founder shared quantum computing industry birth process and innovation strategy
Shared experience of reaching NYSE listing after 10 years of preparation despite initial skepticism
Emphasized importance of long-term research and development for future technologies
Journey from web2 to web3: Seung-yoon Lee (Story), Tae-Yong Kim (EO)
Thanks to CEO Seung-yoon Lee from today's hottest Web3 company and Tae-yong from the hottest YouTube channel!
Shared journey from the successful sale of web novel platform Radish to founding blockchain startup 'Story'
Presented new vision facilitating the creation, remixing, and secondary works through IP and blockchain combination
Shared experience of securing three consecutive investments from a16z and maintaining trust during the FTX crisis
Starting from Scratch in the US: Mark Lee(Marqvision), Diana Lee(Constellation), John Kim(Sendbird), Claire Chang(IgniteXL)
Thanks to John Kim who never misses an event of ours, Diana from New York, CEO In-sub Lee, and Claire who always moderates well!
Presented key strategies and localization methods needed for US market entry
Shared that startups can recruit talent by offering "equity, responsibility, growth opportunities" even with limited funds and reputation
Provided practical advice on initial team building and fundraising process
K-Content Startups in US Market: Dong-hwan Kim (Sampro), Jae-kwon Son (The Milk), Chang-won Kim (Tapas), Tae-yong Kim (EO)
Dong-hwan Kim said I have talent as a moderator, which made me proud! Thanks to Son who came despite being tired from Vegas schedule, CK who came from LA despite being busy, and Tae-yong who moderated twice this time!
Shared US market entry strategies through success cases like Sampro TV and The Milk
Presented ways to create global differentiation points by combining culture and tech
Emphasized the importance of building local networks and business model localization
What can I do for my brain?: Dong-Seon Chang(CuriousBrain Lab)
A delightful and brilliant doctor whom I met for the first time this year and thankfully got to attend his party in Vegas!
Viewed stress management and finding paths in uncertain times through a neuroscientist's perspective
Short-term stress can help improve capabilities, but recovery is essential to prevent chronic stress
Presented scientific approach to current position assessment, destination setting, and path selection
United Korean Founders Introduction: Saeju Jeong (Noom)
UKF 2025 introduction by CEO Saeju Jeong, co-chair with our CEO Ki Ha Lee! See you all in New York on October 22-24!
Shared UKF's global Korean founder network vision and October New York event plans
Planning "Korea Week" festival for 5,000 people to introduce Korean culture and business globally
Emphasized community spirit built through participants' voluntary contributions
Networking Session
How do we manage such a big event by ourselves? It's possible thanks to our volunteers! Thank you to those who came from Seoul and New York to help, and we look forward to working together next year (haha) and welcome many new volunteers!
See you all in New York this October! Thank you!
Startup Pitching Session
In the morning, following introductions from Dcamp and AWS, pre-selected startups pitched in front of investors including VCs and CVCs.
Innovide: One-stop 'Dentlink' solution for digital dentistry (oral scanner) providing customized prosthetics
RealDraw: Entering Holly/Bollywood markets with AI & 3D-based webtoon/story IP production system
StudioLab: Developing commerce photography robots with AI+robotics-based photo/video automation system
LiOps: Logistics/manufacturing agent AI robots performing autonomous path planning and tasks via SMS commands
Sorcerics: 'Home automation' AI solution controlling appliances by understanding context, space, and user behavior
Gravity Labs: The healthcare app 'Moneywalk' offers points-based health management using personal activity data
Hidden News: New York SoHo-based jewelry curated shop innovating group purchasing through the 'TO-GET-HER' campaign
Runbear: Platform enabling business automation by generating enterprise LLM agents with "one line of code"
Archisketch: AI 3D interior solution automating building/home interior design with '3D automation + AI design'
Apollon: Innovating non-invasive blood glucose monitoring with needle-free "MOGLU" technology
Cosmo Bee: Developing new materials and applied products based on space technology
AniAi: Animation-specialized AI technology automatically generates character movements and expressions
Doctor Here: Expanding chain of primary care clinics specialized for elderly care in the US
Scouter Lab: Developing wearable "Scouter" AI glasses with voice commands and visual HUD implementation
Cutback: AI automatic video editing SaaS achieving $4M ARR from $240K in 7 months
Asleep: Accumulated 4M+ nights of sleep data using a smartphone microphone for sleep state measurement
Medic Life: Developing synthetic lethal drugs using the mCAT platform (gene editing + 3D tumor model)
BuildBlock: US real estate one-stop service with a cumulative transaction/operation record of 600 billion won
Analog AI: Developing ultra-low-power, ultra-high-performance 'analog'-based AI chips with 1000x+ performance vs GPU
Imprimed: Raised $35M Series A for AI-powered cancer drug prediction/analysis service for pets
CLIKA: SDK for AI model lightweighting and optimization enabling deployment across various hardware
Space Map: Collaborating with US Space Force on '42talks' platform for satellite collision prevention and path optimization
Standard Energy: World's first "vanadium ion battery" development targeting the battery market
Paraform: Talent recruitment marketplace connecting candidates, companies, and recruiters through network effects