2026 Patriot Pitch Competition Korea (PPCK) Final Round
Six student startup teams. One ticket to Fairfax.
Join us for the Final Round of the 2026 Patriot Pitch Competition Korea (PPCK), hosted by George Mason University Korea in partnership with Inha University and Incheon National University.
After the virtual preliminary round in September, six finalist teams will pitch their startup ideas live in Songdo, each with a 5-minute pitch and 5-minute Q&A in English. The winning team will advance to the Patriot Pitch finals at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia.
📅 Monday, November 2, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM (KST) · Registration opens at 11:30 AM
📍 G101 Event Hall, George Mason University Korea (119-4 Songdomunhwa-ro, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon)
🗓️ Program
11:30 AM · Registration and networking
12:00 PM · Opening remarks
12:10 PM · Finalist pitches (six teams, 5-minute pitch + 5-minute Q&A)
1:22 PM · Judges' deliberation
1:37 PM · Awards and closing remarks
1:50 PM · Networking and refreshments
🚀 Finalists (in pitch order)
Ridgy · Local guide matching for travelers in Korea
GaleGuard · Maintenance decisions for offshore wind farms
SENSA · Personalized beauty product discovery
FANcy · Ticketing that stops scalping
Dapulo · Study focus and mistake review for students
ALTIVIUM · Ground warnings for falling drones
⚖️ Judges
Jungwook Byun · CEO, SIDPartners
Saeyong Lee · CEO, Draper Startup House Korea
JongKap Kim · CEO, Global Digital Innovation Network (GDIN)
Hoonpyo Jeon · Partner, Saehan Ventures
🏆 What's at Stake
Grand Prize (1 team): A spot at the Patriot Pitch U.S. finals in Fairfax, Virginia, a chance to compete for a $60,000 prize pool, and airfare and accommodation support
Excellence Award (2 teams): KRW 500,000 each
🚗 Parking
First hour free. Additional complimentary parking may be available with advance vehicle registration. If you're driving, please add your license plate number when you register.
Free and open to all. Come cheer on the finalists!
Questions? Contact us at ciekorea@gmu.edu