Google Intensively Mentors 14 Korean Startups for 10 Weeks, One Sees Revenue Nearly Quadruple

Google is bolstering its support for South Korea's technology ecosystem by driving explosive growth in early-stage artificial intelligence (AI) startups. On July 15, Google held the 'Google for Startups Accelerator Korea Demo Day' at The Shilla Seoul in Jung-gu, Seoul, announcing that some participating companies saw their revenue nearly quadruple through the 10-week intensive incubation program.

The event celebrated the completion of the 'Google for Startups Accelerator,' which began in 2021 and marked its fifth cohort this year. Over 10 weeks, Google provided intensive support essential for AI startup growth, including expert consulting and the formation of global business networks. This year's cohort included a total of 14 startups: Alpy, ArtigenSpace, CodeCrayon, CountdownAI, Dalpa, Invector, Letseo, LinkAlpha, Moonyce, NotiFly, PhotoWidget, Storyka, TeamLimited, and GIGR.

Beyond simple financial support, Google mobilized its full technological infrastructure and human networks. During the program, 22 specialized educational seminars and 118 one-on-one mentoring sessions were conducted. Notably, current experts from Google DeepMind, Google Cloud, and Google Ads directly participated in the training, helping startups enhance product competitiveness and plan business strategies.

In her welcoming remarks, Ruth Sun, President of Google Cloud Korea, emphasized, "The success of startups is Google's success," adding that "supporting startups for the next industrial innovation is Google's mission." She further stated, "I feel proud seeing South Korean startups that received Google's incubation support grow explosively."

The Demo Day was structured as a pitching session where the 14 startups shared their growth achievements over the 10 weeks and presented their future business blueprints. One participating startup achieved tangible results, with revenue increasing nearly fourfold during the program period.

Meanwhile, concurrently with the startup support event, Google also held the 'Google AI for Business 2026' event at the same venue, The Shilla Seoul, unveiling its AI business strategy targeting large and mid-sized South Korean enterprises. At the event, Google announced its 'Full Stack AI' strategy, which organically combines computing infrastructure, AI models, and platforms, clarifying its intent to target the business-to-business (B2B) market.

At a press conference, Yoon Goo, President of Google Korea, explained, "In the AI era, as AI-based tools such as chatbots and AI search are widely utilized, the ways consumers search for information and make purchasing decisions are completely changing." He added, "Google AI is evolving beyond marketing innovation to play a role in driving enterprise work innovation across the entire business cycle."

President Ruth Sun emphasized the integrated infrastructure centered on Google Cloud's enterprise AI platform, 'Gemini Enterprise.' She stated, "South Korean companies are moving beyond the stage of asking about AI's effectiveness and are now focusing on how quickly they can make it a core growth engine." She added, "Based on a fully integrated AI stack, Google Cloud will actively support companies in rapidly turning bold ideas into actual business results."

On this day, Google also presented domestic success stories across various industries, including retail, finance, and healthcare. CJ Olive Young, KakaoBank, Daewon Pharmaceutical, Weverse, and Yeogi Eottae were introduced as representative companies that achieved work innovation using Google's AI technology. This demonstrates Google's multi-faceted strategy targeting the South Korean market, spanning from startups to large corporations.