Open Waters: Pitch, Get Bitten, Scale with Korea's Top Startups 🦈🚀
Come for the pitches. Stay for the conversations.
In collaboration with Vidacity and Lorong AI, Open Waters is a live Shark Tank-style morning where you will get to listen to and interact with 30+ high-growth Korean startups pitching directly to investors, all from a front-row seat to all the action.
There's no stage, no microphone, no distance. Founders pitch face-to-face with Shark investors across three themed corners of the room, and you're free to move between tracks, listen in, jump into conversations, and meet the founders directly.
What you get out of being here:
Direct access to Korean founders actively looking for SEA partners. Every startup in the room is in market-entry mode for Singapore, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Whether you're a distributor, operator, investor, or builder, these are exactly the conversations worth having.
A live window into how investors think. The Shark feedback sessions are open. You'll hear real, unfiltered investor thinking; what they probe, what they push back on, and what they get excited about. Whether you're raising soon or just sharpening your own thinking, it's genuinely useful.
Exposure to commercial AI applications already working at scale. One full track is dedicated to AI, Deep Tech & Sustainability. Most of the Korean startups here aren't experimenting... they're deployed, revenue-generating, and solving real industrial problems with AI and technology.
The Three Pitch Tracks:
🤖 AI, Deep Tech & Sustainability: AI-powered solutions, hardware innovation, and sustainability-driven startups from Korea's fast-growing deep tech scene
🍜 Food, Health & Lifestyle: K-Food, wellness, beauty, and consumer brands ready to scale across Southeast Asia
🌏 Commerce & Global Reach: Cross-border commerce, B2B distribution, and platform startups with proven traction and global ambitions
Programme:
9:00 AM — Registration & early networking
9:30 AM — Shark Tank pitching begins (3 tracks running simultaneously)
11:00 AM — Open networking for all
Open Waters is part of the Global Startup Academy One ScaleX Program, a government-backed internationalisation program jointly run by KOSME (Korea SMEs and Startups Agency) and One Tree Hill Ventures. Startups supported by the K-Startup Center Singapore are also part of this cohort.
This session is open to all members of the Lorong AI community with special thanks from our team at One Tree Hill Ventures.
Here's who will be there
🤖 AI, Deep Tech & Sustainability
1. Gauss Lab
Gauss Lab helps renewable energy operators and power brokers maximize energy trading revenue by combining AI wind forecasting and real-time grid optimization in one SaaS platform, achieving over 90% prediction accuracy, and is currently at $1M USD in 2025 revenue with partners including KEPCO and France's Ponticelli Frères Group.
2. TMS Industry
TMS helps battery recycling facilities and bio-pharma labs in Southeast Asia achieve zero-accident, ESG-compliant automation by deploying 100% robot-automated Plug & Play modular recycling systems with a proprietary 3-second self-extinguishing mechanism, reducing fire incidents to 0%, and is currently at KRW 916M revenue with a completed POSCO PoC and signed MOUs with Limbah.id.
3. Pharos Marine
Pharos Marine helps public-sector and small commercial boat operators transition to electric propulsion by retrofitting existing vessels with durable, locally compatible outboard systems, reducing operating costs and emissions by up to 50%, and is currently deployed across Southeast Asia with 120+ units in active pilots.
4. DPD
DPD helps semiconductor and battery manufacturers achieve cleaner, more precise automation by supplying Korea's first domestically developed grease-free trochoid index system, ending reliance on Japanese suppliers, and is currently at $783K in 2025 revenue representing 544% YoY growth, already inside the supply chains of Samsung, LG, and SK.
5. Surprice
Surprice helps semiconductor equipment makers achieve the precision needed for wafer handling by offering an add-on module that upgrades standard collaborative robots without replacing the whole system, cutting setup complexity and cost, and is currently at $1.27M in 2025 revenue, validated by LG PRI and SFA, scaling to $4M by 2027.
6. ZORVEX
ZORVEX helps large-scale open-field farms and agricultural corporations achieve higher crop yields and resource efficiency by providing satellite-based, AI-driven precision agriculture SaaS with no heavy infrastructure required, reducing input costs through optimized water and fertilizer use, and is currently live in Indonesia and the US with active B2B contracts.
7. DataLinker
DataLinker helps industrial manufacturers achieve AI-driven automation without cloud exposure by deploying private on-premise AI agents that directly operate enterprise software the way a human would, and is currently at KRW 300M in revenue with reference deployments at LG Energy Solution and EcoPro AP across Korea, Hungary, Poland, and Vietnam.
8. EMS
EMS helps semiconductor manufacturers improve production yield and cut supply delays by using AI to design and produce sputtering targets with greater precision and consistency than traditional methods, and is currently at $3M in 2025 revenue representing 4.6x growth over two years, with 35+ Korean clients and 20+ active pipeline projects in Vietnam.
9. MetaFactory
MetaFactory helps XR venue operators, smart city developers, and event organizers achieve immersive spatial entertainment at scale by deploying its AI-driven IMAGINE X engine that cuts 3D production costs by 80% and production time by over 70%, and is currently live with Megabox and Playtime Group across 15+ branches with SEA expansion rolling out in Q2 2026.
10. MOTUS
MOTUS helps garment and bag OEM factories in Southeast Asia automate sewing by deploying robots trained on motion data captured from 1,200 skilled workers, delivering a 2-year ROI even in low-wage markets, and is currently at KRW 1.9B in confirmed 2026 revenue with partners LTS VINA and Pungkook, targeting KRW 10B by 2027.
11. SIJE
SIJE helps garment factories and CMT manufacturers in Vietnam and Indonesia eliminate production bottlenecks by running their operations on a purpose-built ERP platform powered by a proprietary knowledge base of 470,000+ apparel-specific data classes, and is currently at $860K in 2025 revenue projecting $4.6M in 2026 and $18.6M in 2027.
12. YMX
YMX helps construction project owners, plant operators, and heavy industry manufacturers cut quality inspection errors and project delays by overlaying real-time BIM blueprints directly onto physical job sites through AR, letting any worker spot and log construction defects on the spot without needing specialized expertise, and is currently deployed with Samsung E&A, LG Energy Solution, HD Hyundai, and KORAIL, with a Singapore base established and SEA SaaS expansion underway in 2026.
🍜 Food, Health & Lifestyle
1. NESTLAB
NESTLAB helps Korean beauty brands achieve risk-free market entry into Indonesia by operating a full-stack O2O distribution platform combining offline flagship stores, BPOM certification, and real-time POS data intelligence, eliminating inventory risk and reducing time-to-market, and is currently attracting 450–500 daily visitors at Jakarta PIK with 3 consecutive sellouts for its private label.
2. Miracles
Miracles helps health-conscious women achieve clinically validated inner beauty results through collagen and glutathione supplements delivered via a proprietary pharmaceutical-grade nano-platform that absorbs up to 80% more effectively than standard formulations at 64% lower cost, and is currently growing from KRW 1.35B in 2024 to KRW 3.57B in 2025 with market entry into Vincom Mega Mall Hanoi and Vietnamese pharmacy chains.
3. KOROUND
KOROUND helps Muslim and vegan beauty consumers in Southeast Asia achieve high-performance skincare results by offering Halal and vegan-certified K-Beauty formulations, improving accessibility to premium skincare, and is currently generating $85K in 6 months with 2.8x YoY growth.
4. NET
NET helps on-the-go consumers and B2B beverage brands achieve portable, functional hydration solutions by converting liquid beverages into compact effervescent tablet formats, reducing logistics costs and packaging waste, and is currently Korea's Food Technology Grand Prize winner expanding into Singapore and Indonesia.
5. Intalk
Intalk helps insurance agency recruiters replace Excel and expensive CRMs with an AI platform that combines candidate competency scoring, contact analytics, and performance coaching at 95% lower cost than Salesforce, and is currently at 90% gross retention, 94% repeat usage, an 80+ agency network, and MOUs already signed with two Vietnamese insurers.
6. HANAQUA
HANAQUA helps families and health-conscious consumers get safer, cleaner tap water every day with a faucet-mounted BPA-free filter that lasts 3x longer than standard alternatives and requires zero installation, and is currently at KRW 325M in revenue growing rapidly, targeting KRW 1.1B this year as they expand into Vietnam.
7. HUR (HUREASE)
HUREASE helps urban women achieve clinically effective anti-aging results through NMN-based skincare built on pharmaceutical-grade nano-encapsulation technology that outperforms standard formulations, and is currently at KRW 60M in their first month, sustaining 180%+ ROAS during influencer campaigns, and entering Vietnam and Southeast Asia through clinic and pharmacy B2B channels.
8. HAETPOOM
HAETPOOM helps B2B food distributors, franchise operators, and ASEAN importers achieve cost-efficient K-Food supply chain access by vertically integrating cold-chain logistics, in-house seafood processing, and branded F&B exports, reducing supply costs by 10–15%, and is currently at KRW 15.9B revenue with a 41% CAGR and zero deficit years since 2019.
🌏 Commerce & Global Reach
1. STELLUP
STELLUP helps foreign professionals and job seekers become fluent in real Korean workplace communication by replacing textbook drills with AI scenario training and a certified assessment, and is currently at $100K in revenue with 8,500 global users, 950x YoY growth, and 45% of users already based in Vietnam.
2. INNOPHARMA
INNOPHARMA helps hospitals, public institutions, and emergency responders achieve fast, pressure-free bleeding control by providing a kaolin-based non-contact hemostatic spray for immediate wound response, reducing coagulation time in emergencies, and is currently at KRW 100M revenue within 5 months of launch with B2G, B2B, and B2C customers secured in Korea.
3. SPONOVATION
SPONOVATION helps sports event organizers, federations, and local governments achieve seamless race operations and athlete safety by providing an all-in-one timing, LBS tracking, and performance prediction platform, and is currently contracted with the Korea Triathlon Federation and Korea Paralympic Committee, targeting $2.2M revenue in 2026.
4. PinkPacker
PinkPacker helps meat importers and processors unlock cash tied up in slow-moving inventory by algorithmically matching the right cuts to the right buyers across Vietnam, Australia, and Indonesia, and is currently at $1.3M in 2025 revenue with $400K already booked in Q1 2026, recognized as a UN FAO Global Top 10 Startup.
5. STARGLOW (Red Slippers)
STARGLOW helps K-pop fans globally achieve financial returns from their fandom by turning fan activity into structured IP investment and rewards, improving fan monetization and engagement, and is currently building a global platform at the intersection of Hallyu fandom and investment.
6. Korehalal
Korehalal helps Muslim travelers achieve seamless, halal-friendly travel experiences in Korea by providing curated itineraries and Muslim-friendly services, improving travel confidence and access, and is currently at $330K revenue with 100K active users and 350% growth in 2025.
7. GoStudy
GoStudy helps Indonesian students achieve successful Korean university admissions by providing an AI-powered SaaS platform for application tracking and instant consultations, improving admission readiness at scale, and is currently a Top 50 Education App in Indonesia with a 3x capacity expansion underway.
8. Cheongryu
Cheongryu helps cold-chain fleet operators reduce cargo damage and transport costs through two patented hardware systems that lock cargo during transit and extend refrigerated truck body capacity, backed by 19 IP assets and a closed network of 1,000 truck operators, and is currently at KRW 340M in 2025 revenue entering Vietnam with a pilot supply program in H2 2026.