Healo Is in Korea: Infiheal Selected for K-Startup Grand Challenge 2026
Infiheal is officially part of the K-Startup Grand Challenge (KSGC) 2026, selected from over 100 applications to join this year's Phase 2 programme in South Korea. Founder and CEO Srishti Srivastava and Co-founder Utkarsh Srivastava spent the orientation week in Korea, getting a first-hand look at the ecosystem they will be building within over the next several months.
About the K-Startup Grand Challenge
The K-Startup Grand Challenge is South Korea's premier government-backed acceleration programme for international startups, run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. Since 2016, KSGC has attracted over 21,500 applicants from more than 100 countries, making it one of the most recognised inbound startup programmes in the world.
The 2026 edition runs from July 2026 to April 2027 across three phases. Phase 2, which Infiheal has now entered as one of 40 selected teams, brings startups into hybrid participation including business acceleration, expert mentoring, visa support, and prize money of up to ₩380 million for the top 20 teams. The programme also connects startups with Proof-of-Concept projects across more than 20 leading Korean conglomerates, and offers a Demo Day stage at COMEUP 2026, Korea's flagship startup event.
A Week That Covered a Lot of Ground
The orientation opened with an exploration of Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy and Innovation, Pangyo Startup Zone, and TIPS Town, giving the team a grounded sense of Korea's startup infrastructure. Conversations with KSGC alumni who have already built in Korea added real texture to that picture.
Day two went deeper into the practical realities of building here: incorporation, local hiring, legal requirements, and one-on-one sessions around market entry and growth roadmaps. Day three brought the cohort together for a visit to Woowa Brothers HQ in Pangyo, one of Korea's most successful consumer technology companies, with direct conversations from founders across different sectors rounding out the formal programme.
Conversations That Kept Going
Some of the most valuable exchanges happened after the official schedule ended. A meeting with Seung Park from Atommerce offered a closer look at Korea's digital mental health ecosystem. Reagan Hwang's openness toward fellow founders made the market feel genuinely welcoming from the start. A conversation with Jaewook Shin of Dallem shed further light on building and growing in Korea, while time with Jimmy Kim of DAIN EAP opened up a substantive exchange around workplace wellbeing and employee mental health.
The team also met with representatives from the ICCR at the Embassy of India in Seoul, learning more about the India-Korea startup relationship and the connections between both markets that Infiheal can draw on.
Looking Ahead
A sincere thank you to the entire KSGC team for an orientation that was as thoughtful as it was well organised. Infiheal is excited for the next three months, and for the possibility of building Healo into a platform that reaches people in Korea with the same care it brings to 165 countries already.
