Daejeon TP helps local AI firms break into North American market

Daejeon Technopark (Daejeon TP) helped a group of the city's leading AI companies make inroads into the North American market, providing tailored pre-departure mentoring that covered local market analysis, investor relations strategy and live IR pitching sessions with investors and buyers in Silicon Valley.

Daejeon TP announced Monday that it ran its "2026 North America Market Entry Support Program" in the Silicon Valley area from Nov. 2 to 6, backing local AI firms seeking to expand into the North American market.

Before the delegation departed, Daejeon TP conducted online preparatory sessions and one-on-one mentoring for each participating company. The sessions helped firms understand trends in the North American AI market and the areas of greatest interest to local investors, allowing them to tailor their IR strategies and presentation materials accordingly.

The five participating companies were Plan I Co. (AI IR chatbot), HN Power Co. (solid oxide fuel cell power systems for AI data centers), CNS Co. (AI drone digital twin infrastructure management), Everysim Co. (AI engineering simulation) and SDC Wellcare Co. (AI chronic disease management platform).

Armed with that preparation, the companies introduced their technologies and business models to local investors and buyers and explored pathways into the North American market.

Through participation in AI Summit Silicon Valley 2026 and local networking events, the delegation conducted a total of 12 IR pitches and 46 one-on-one business matching consultations, of which nine are expected to lead to follow-up meetings. CNS Co. also signed an MOU with a local AI startup to pursue a proof-of-concept project, marking one of the program's most tangible outcomes.

The delegation also visited local accelerators StartX and SkyDeck, as well as Google's headquarters, exchanging ideas with figures in the local startup and innovation ecosystem and discussing potential collaboration to support future North American expansion by Daejeon-based companies.

"What set this program apart was the company-specific mentoring conducted before departure — it allowed participants to understand what the North American market and investors are looking for and to incorporate those insights directly into their IR strategies," said Park Min-beom, president of Daejeon TP. "We will do our utmost to provide follow-up support so that the consultations held with investors and buyers on the ground can translate into actual contracts and investment."

The program is part of the "Daejeon Regional Enterprise Growth Ladder Support Project," backed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Daejeon city government. The ministry's Global Hub (SVC), along with local accelerators and venture capital firms, collaborated on the initiative to help domestically focused companies pivot toward exports and enter overseas markets.