Seoul looks to foreign entrepreneurs to fuel its next economic engine

Seoul is using foreign entrepreneurship to strengthen its economy as a Ukrainian founder won the city’s second annual Jump Up, Start Up competition in Seoul this week. NeuroDetectYO took first place, along with 2 million won and 30 points toward Korea’s D-8-4 technology startup visa. City officials said they will keep supporting foreign founders as a source of new growth engines.

The competition drew 40 teams from around the world, with nine finalists from countries including Germany, Indonesia, the United States and Uruguay.

Second place went to FlixFluent, an AI Chrome extension led by John Heinemann of Germany that teaches foreign languages through streaming video content.

Third place went to Dots, an AI platform created by Maria Noel De La Paz Suzacq of Uruguay to connect Korean startups with Latin American markets.

Published Oct 2, 2026 12:08 pm KST

Ukrainian-led startup wins contest for foreign entrepreneurs

Oleksandr Yuhai, right, head of NeuroDetectYO, poses with Seoul Global Center head Kwon Bo-geun during the awarding ceremony for the "Jump Up, Start Up" contest. Courtesy of Seoul Metropolitan Government

Armed with an artificial intelligence (AI) platform designed to predict fall risks for the elderly, a Ukrainian entrepreneur walked away from a Seoul pitch competition this week with something far more valuable than cash: a golden ticket toward permanent residency in Korea.

The winning startup, NeuroDetectYO, was named top entry at Seoul’s second annual "Jump Up, Start Up" foreign entrepreneurship competition.

Founder Oleksandr Yuhai received a 2 million won ($1,500) cash reward, but the most crucial prize was 30 points toward Korea’s notoriously difficult D-8-4 technology startup visa — a vital bridge allowing foreign founders to convert ambitious ideas into permanent Korean businesses.

As domestic birth rates plummet and economic growth slows, Seoul is aggressively pivoting outward, attempting to transform itself into Asia's premier hub for global tech talent. City officials are actively rolling out the red carpet for foreign founders, believing that international perspectives can ignite the capital’s next wave of growth.

"Foreign entrepreneurs are creating new business opportunities in Seoul based on their unique experiences and technological expertise," said Sohn Hyeong-kwon, director of foreign immigration at the Seoul Metropolitan Government. "We will continue providing the support needed for innovative ideas to become Seoul’s new growth engines."

This year's competition drew 40 teams from around the world, with nine finalist startups representing countries including Germany, Indonesia, the United States and Uruguay. Pitching to a panel of venture capitalists and incubators, founders presented business models tailored to local market gaps, spanning AI, health care, edtech and food technology.

Second place went to FlixFluent, led by John Heinemann of Germany, which developed an AI Chrome extension that teaches foreign languages through streaming video content. Third place was awarded to Dots, an AI platform created by Maria Noel De La Paz Suzacq of Uruguay to connect Korean startups with Latin American markets.

For international entrepreneurs, navigating Korea’s immigration system remains a formidable hurdle. To qualify for a tech startup visa, applicants must score at least 60 points out of 300 under a point system governed by the Ministry of Justice, alongside mandatory technical or intellectual property prerequisites. Most participants currently hold student or job-seeker visas, making point-yielding competitions like this one vital for remaining in the country legally.

Through the Seoul Global Center, the city offers a complete lifecycle support pipeline under the government's OASIS startup immigration system, guiding foreign founders from initial business training to corporate registration and office incubation.

The strategy is already yielding results.

Last year's winner, Konnect — an AI-powered travel platform founded by Indian entrepreneur Ravi Sankar — recently secured backing from Korea's prestigious TIPS government-matched investment program.

"Our goal is to ensure these global experts don't just study here, but build their futures here," Sohn said.

This article was published with the assistance of generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.

首尔正利用外国创业者的力量来增强经济实力。本周，一位乌克兰创业者在首尔举行的第二届“Jump Up, Start Up”创业大赛中荣获冠军。他的创业项目NeuroDetectYO一举夺魁，赢得了200万韩元奖金以及韩国D-8-4科技创业签证的30个积分。首尔市政府官员表示，他们将继续支持外国创业者，将其视为新的经济增长引擎。

本次比赛吸引了来自世界各地的 40 支队伍参赛，其中 9 支队伍进入决赛，这些队伍分别来自德国、印度尼西亚、美国和乌拉圭等国家。

第二名是 FlixFluent，这是一款由德国 John Heinemann 领导的 AI Chrome 扩展程序，它通过流媒体视频内容教授外语。

第三名是 Dots，这是一个由乌拉圭人 Maria Noel De La Paz Suzacq 创建的人工智能平台，旨在连接韩国初创企业和拉丁美洲市场。

发布于2026年10月2日下午12:08（韩国标准时间）

一家由乌克兰人领导的初创公司赢得面向外国企业家的竞赛

在“Jump Up, Start Up”创业大赛颁奖典礼上，NeuroDetectYO负责人Oleksandr Yuhai（右）与首尔全球中心负责人Kwon Bo-geun合影。图片由首尔市政府提供。

本周，一位乌克兰企业家凭借一个旨在预测老年人跌倒风险的人工智能（AI）平台，在首尔的创业大赛中赢得了比现金更有价值的东西：一张通往韩国永久居留权的金票。

获奖创业公司 NeuroDetectYO 在首尔第二届“Jump Up, Start Up”外国创业大赛中荣获第一名。

创始人 Oleksandr Yuhai 获得了 200 万韩元（1500 美元）的现金奖励，但最重要的奖励是获得了 30 分，用于申请韩国出了名的难办的 D-8-4 科技创业签证——这是一座重要的桥梁，允许外国创始人将雄心勃勃的想法转化为韩国的永久企业。

随着国内出生率骤降和经济增长放缓，首尔正积极向外拓展，力图将自身打造成为亚洲首屈一指的全球科技人才中心。市政府官员热情欢迎外国创业者，相信国际视野能够激发首尔的下一波增长浪潮。

首尔市政府外国人移民局局长孙亨权表示：“外国企业家正凭借其独特的经验和技术专长，在首尔创造新的商业机遇。我们将继续为创新理念提供必要的支持，使其成为首尔新的增长引擎。”

今年的比赛吸引了来自世界各地的40支队伍参赛，其中9支决赛入围的初创公司分别来自德国、印度尼西亚、美国和乌拉圭等国家。在由风险投资家和孵化器组成的评审团面前，创始人展示了针对当地市场空白量身定制的商业模式，涵盖人工智能、医疗保健、教育科技和食品科技等领域。

第二名是德国人约翰·海涅曼 (John Heinemann) 领导的 FlixFluent 公司，该公司开发了一款人工智能 Chrome 浏览器扩展程序，通过流媒体视频内容教授外语。第三名是 Dots 公司，这是一个由乌拉圭人玛丽亚·诺埃尔·德拉帕斯·苏扎克 (Maria Noel De La Paz Suzacq) 创建的人工智能平台，旨在连接韩国初创企业与拉丁美洲市场。

对于国际创业者而言，如何应对韩国的移民系统仍然是一大挑战。要获得科技创业签证，申请人必须在韩国法务部制定的评分体系中获得至少60分（满分300分），同时还需满足技术或知识产权方面的强制性要求。目前大多数参赛者持有学生签证或求职签证，因此，像这样的积分竞赛对于他们合法留在韩国至关重要。

通过首尔全球中心，首尔市政府在OASIS创业移民体系下提供完整的生命周期支持渠道，指导外国创始人从最初的商业培训到公司注册和办公室孵化。

该策略已初见成效。

去年的获奖者 Konnect 是由印度企业家 Ravi Sankar 创立的人工智能旅行平台，最近获得了韩国著名的 TIPS 政府配套投资计划的支持。

“我们的目标是确保这些全球专家不仅在这里学习，而且在这里建立他们的未来，”Sohn说道。

本文由生成式人工智能协助发布，并由《韩国时报》编辑。