CNT Tech Connects Marine and Fisheries Startups with Investors… Hosts 'Blue Market Connect Day'

A platform for public-private cooperation will be established to facilitate investment and expand sales channels for marine and fisheries startups. Policy, industry, and investment institutions will gather to discuss growth challenges for startups and explore practical business linkage strategies.

CNT Tech will host the '2026 Unicorn Bay Blue Market Connect Day' on the 4th at Tipstown S6 in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. This event is a specialized program of the '2026 Marine and Fisheries Accelerator Program,' operated with support from the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries and the Korea Institute of Marine Science & Technology Promotion (KIMST). It was organized to bridge the gap between commercialization and private investment attraction for startups in the marine and fisheries sector, and to resolve growth bottlenecks in the field.

The event will proceed with three sessions: a panel talk, a one-on-one business roundtable, and networking.

In the first part of the panel talk, Lim Jeong-su, Standing Representative of the Smart Fisheries and Fishing Village Forum, will serve as moderator, with participation from Choi Gyeong-sam, Head of the Korea Seaweed Industry Association; Han Ki-wook, Director of the Overseas Market Analysis Center at KMI; Professor Choi Wan-hyun of Pukyong National University; and Kim Min-su, Representative of the Korea Institute of Fisheries Technology. The discussion is scheduled to cover topics such as the growth challenges of marine and fisheries startups, the revitalization of private investment, and the establishment of public-private cooperative governance.

In Part 2, a one-on-one business roundtable will be held for Unicorn Bay fostering companies and startups in the marine and fisheries sector.

Major retailers such as Lotte Mart, CJ Freshway, Ourhome, and GS Retail, as well as specialized associations and institutions, participate in the consultations to review technological and business feasibility and discuss possibilities for market expansion, open innovation, investment, and collaboration.

Through this event, CNT Tech plans to expand the foundation for supporting the entire lifecycle of the marine and fisheries startup ecosystem—from startup discovery to demonstration, investment, and export—and strengthen public-private cooperation networks.

"Blue Market Connect Day is a venue to assess the current state of the marine and fisheries startup ecosystem and discuss sustainable public-private cooperation models," said a CNT Tech official. "We hope that through in-depth discussions among experts and business meetings with startups, this will serve as a meaningful opportunity to revitalize the domestic marine and fisheries innovation ecosystem."

Meanwhile, applications for this event are being accepted through OnOffMix and Eventers.