PRogram Korea 2025

PROGRAM

October 1st


11:00 Welcome to the South Summit Stage

Liz Fleming (Chief Ecosystem Officer at South Summit)

Joe Haslam (Executive Director of the Owners Scaleup Program at IE Business School)

11:05 South Summit Startup Competition – Deeptech

12:05 When AI Meets Ambition: How Founders and Investors Build Global Startups

What happens when visionary founders and forward-looking investors join forces in the AI era? This panel dives into the collaboration between Jeff Kim of Yanolja — Korea’s travel-tech unicorn — and Javier Villamizar of SoftBank. Together, they’ll highlight how AI is fueling growth, reshaping industries, and creating new opportunities for startups to expand from Asia to the world.

Juan José Güemes (Senior Vice President Strategy & Corporate Growth Chairman, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at IE University)

Javier Villamizar (Operating Partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers)

Jeff Kim (CEO at Yanolja Cloud)

13:30 Beyond Unicorns: How Investors Scale Deeptech & AI Globally

Scaling deeptech and AI requires more than early traction—it takes late-stage vision, capital, and global networks. This panel brings together Ravi Jain (TDK Ventures), Sandeep Casi (Antler & Ibex Japan), Alexandre Lazrow (Fluent Ventures), and Josep Santacana (Korelya Capital) to discuss the evolving role of late-stage investors. They will highlight how global ecosystems can support startups as they move from growth to scale.

Ravi Jain (Investment Director at TDK Ventures)

Sandeep Casi (Partner at Antler, Head of Ibex Japan at Antler)

Alexandre Lazrow (Managing Partner at Fluent Ventures)

Josep Santacana (Partner at Korelya Capital)

14:00 Born in Spain, Built for the World: Scaling Deeptech Globally

From AI breakthroughs to hyperautomation, Spanish founders are driving a new wave of deeptech innovation. This panel brings together two trailblazers who will share their journeys of building cutting-edge startups in Spain and scaling them to global markets. Discover how deeptech born locally is reshaping industries worldwide.
Renata Sánchez de Lollano Caballero (Economic & Commercial Counsellor at Embassy of Spain in Seoul)

Miguel Ángel Fito Jordán (CEO at DOÑA PAQUITA)

Alejandro Máñez (CEO & Founder at Digital Robots)

15:00 From Now to Next: Building Resilient Ecosystems for Innovation

In times of uncertainty, resilience comes from strong ecosystems and bold leadership. In this fireside chat, Ed Soo Hoo—eclectic entrepreneur, industry fellow at UC Berkeley, and global innovation leader—joins Juan José Güemes, Chairman of IE University’s Entrepreneurship & Innovation Center, to discuss how founders, institutions, and investors can move from “now” to “next.” Together, they’ll explore how to turn disruption into opportunity and build ecosystems that drive innovation forward.

Juan José Güemes (Senior Vice President Strategy & Corporate Growth Chairman, Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation at IE University)

Ed Soo Hoo (CTO Global Accounts – Transformation & Innovation Exec at Lenovo)

15:30 From Zero to One: Building Startup Ecosystems from the Ground Up

Behind every successful founder stands an ecosystem that provides more than capital. This panel brings together an innovation leader, a community builder, and an investor who all share a passion for early-stage startups. Together, they’ll explore how to shape strong teams, streamline operations, and unlock the first big steps that turn ideas into scalable ventures.

Andrew Davies (Chief Innovation Officer at Paddle)

Maria Noel de la Paz (Acceleration Director at Magical )

Daniel Chapellin (Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer at Wealthing VC)

16:00 Resilient Value Chains: Triple EU Helix meets Korea’s High-Tech Edge

Europe’s startup strategy for 2025 emphasizes competitiveness, innovation, and resilience in the face of global shocks. This panel brings together Packative’s Dominik Danninger and Picky’s Jihong Lee to explore how EU policy and Korea’s high-tech agility—from K-Beauty to semiconductors—can strengthen supply chains. Together with moderator Sanyu Karani, they will highlight how cross-border collaboration and Horizon Europe can turn vision into resilient, innovation-driven value networks.
Sanyu Karani (Co-CEO at FundingBox)

Dominik Danninger (Founder & CEO at Packative)

Jihong Lee (Founder/CEO at Picky)

16:30 From Barriers to Bridges: Women, Tech, and the Future of the Founding Community

Communities shape ecosystems as much as capital does. Community is the foundation of a resilient ecosystem. In this fireside conversation with Valerie Won Lee—serial entrepreneur, global negotiator, and WomenTech Network leader in Korea—we explore how inclusive networks empower women in tech and strengthen the entire startup landscape. From mentorship and leadership to diversity and collaboration, discover how community turns obstacles into bridges for a more resilient, innovative future.

Andrea Beleván (International Program Manager at South Summit)

Valerie Won Lee (Former Head of Communications (UN Big Data) | WomenTech Network Leader at WomenTech Network )

10:00 Breaking Borders: How Asian Founders Go Global

For Asia’s founders, going global is both the ultimate challenge and the biggest opportunity. In this panel, Riso Ahn (The Garrison), JaeHee Chang (Antler Korea), Reinaldo Normand (Niu Ventures), and Deb Kumar Mondal (Uncomfortable) share their experiences helping Asian startups expand internationally. From fundraising and market entry to building global teams, they’ll uncover what it really takes to scale beyond borders.

Riso Ahn (CEO at The Garrison)

JaeHee Chang (Partner at Antler Korea)

Reinaldo Normand (Co-founder and GP at Niu Ventures)

Deb Kumar Mondal (Founder CEO at uncomfortable)


October 2nd

10:30 The Business of Bold Ideas: Scaling Innovation in the Age of Convergence

Scaling innovation today requires more than great technology — it demands strategy, investment, and collaboration across converging industries and ecosystems. In this fireside conversation, Nacho Mateo, CEO of South Summit, sits down with Kei Shimada—global innovation leader and Chief Business Officer at ISC—who has spent his career transforming groundbreaking ideas into scalable businesses. Together, they’ll explore how frontier technologies, business strategy, and ecosystem design turn bold visions into lasting impact.

Kei Shimada (CEO at Sirius Technologies, Inc.)

Nacho Mateo (CEO at South Summit)

11:00 From Labs to Markets: Capitalizing Knowledge

Deeptech thrives where research meets entrepreneurship. In this panel, a serial entrepreneur and an investor explore how groundbreaking ideas can move from the lab to the marketplace. Together, they’ll discuss how to spark innovation, foster knowledge, and transform ideas into scalable, capitalizable ventures that shape the future. Francisco Machín (Chief Data & Analytics Officer at IE University)

Michael Blakey (Managing Partner at Cocoon Capital)

Alvaro Cabrera (CEO at Deeptech Builder)

11:30 South Summit Startup Competition – AI

13:30 The Alternative Journey: Founders Who Invest Back

What happens when founders become investors? In this conversation, Kevin Pereira (Renoir Investment Partners) and Rajive Keshup (Cathay Innovation) share their journeys from building startups to backing them. With experience in private equity, venture capital, and global portfolio management, they’ll discuss how founder-turned-investors bring unique insight to navigating Series A, scaling deeptech and AI ventures, and shaping the next wave of global category leaders.

Kevin Pereira (Managing Partner at renoir Investment Partners)

Rajive Keshup (Partner at Cathay Innovation)

14:30 Leading in Uncertain Times

Ed Soo Hoo (CTO Global Accounts – Transformation & Innovation Exec at Lenovo)

15:00 Neuroscience-Driven Solutions: Deeptech to Improve Humanity

Anna Shimafuji (CEO at NeuralPort)

Deb Kumar Mondal (Founder CEO at uncomfortable)

15:30 Fueling Founders: Building the Next Generation of Scalable Startups

Behind every successful startup is more than funding—it’s the right support, networks, and vision to grow. This session will explore how founders in Korea and Japan can access the tools to scale globally, from strategic guidance and international connections to community and mentorship. The focus: empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs to build companies that compete on the world stage.

Hiroki Matsuda (Founder & Managing Director at Collective Souls Inc.)

Catherine Shiang (Managing Director at Asia Capital Advisor )

Yumiko Oka (Investor & Program Manager at Antler)

16:00 South Summit Korea Startup Competition Winner Announcement