The SK AI Committee has strengthened its efforts to position South Korea's artificial intelligence industry on the global stage by hosting UNITE 2026, an annual networking event connecting Korean AI companies with international investors and technology leaders in Silicon Valley.
The committee announced that K-AI Alliance, a consortium of AI companies established to foster South Korea's AI ecosystem, held the event on June 26 (local time) in Menlo Park, California.
UNITE serves as an annual forum where alliance members, global venture capital firms, and technology companies gather to exchange insights on the latest AI trends, investment opportunities, and potential business partnerships.
Around 60 participants attended this year's event, including SK AI Committee Chairman Yoo Young-sang, executives from SK Telecom and SK hynix, representatives from alliance members such as Moloco, Bespin Global, Rebellions, and ImpriMed, as well as investors from Top Harvest Capital, Quantum Prime Ventures, Amazon Web Services (AWS), and other industry stakeholders.
Founded in February 2023 under the leadership of SK Telecom, K-AI Alliance has expanded from seven founding members to approximately 50 companies spanning the entire AI value chain, including semiconductor technologies, AI infrastructure, foundation models, and AI applications.
More than 35% of its members are headquartered outside South Korea, including companies based in the United States, Singapore, and Japan, making the alliance an important gateway for global investors seeking promising Korean AI startups and technology firms.
This year also marks a significant organizational change as responsibility for operating the alliance has shifted from SK Telecom to the SK AI Committee under the SK Supex Council, broadening the initiative into a group-wide AI collaboration platform.
During UNITE 2026, the alliance introduced K-AI Alliance 2.0, a new long-term strategy aimed at transforming the organization from a networking-focused consortium into a comprehensive business collaboration platform.
Under the initiative, alliance members will work more closely with SK Group affiliates—including SK Telecom, SK hynix, and SK AX—on joint technology development, proof-of-concept (PoC) projects, new AI service creation, and customer acquisition in global markets.
The alliance also plans to expand its international programs beyond Silicon Valley by organizing regular events in Japan, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia to help member companies attract investment and establish overseas business partnerships.
The event featured a keynote presentation by Steve Jang, founder and managing partner of Kindred Ventures, who shared his outlook on the future of artificial intelligence from a Silicon Valley investor's perspective. Alliance members including ImpriMed, Soundable Health, Realworld, Gauss Labs, PrimeMARS, MangoBoost, and Panmnesia also delivered company presentations to global investors, while several new members were officially introduced.
Panel discussions explored key challenges facing the AI industry, including infrastructure bottlenecks, next-generation AI semiconductors, and strategies for building a sustainable AI ecosystem.
SK said the expanded alliance is expected to generate tangible business opportunities by enabling Korean AI companies to leverage shared networks, technological collaboration, and joint commercialization efforts. The integrated platform is also expected to shorten development cycles, improve access to global customers, and increase opportunities for cross-border investment at a time when worldwide competition in AI continues to intensify.
"K-AI Alliance provides opportunities and global networks that individual startups would find difficult to build on their own," said Song Ji-young, CEO of Soundable Health. "The event gave us valuable opportunities to meet investors and strategic partners in Silicon Valley while sharing insights into the latest market trends."
Yoo Young-sang, chairman of the SK AI Committee, said the AI industry has entered an era where no single company can independently secure every competitive advantage.
"Meaningful innovation will come only when the full-stack AI ecosystem is organically connected," Yoo said. "We will continue expanding our membership and strengthening our global network to build an AI ecosystem platform that global investors and leading technology companies naturally turn to first."
