Industry–University Cooperation Foundation Signs Three MOUs at CES 2026 to Support Global Expansion
– Establishing a Bridgehead for Overseas Market Entry Through Collaboration with Global VCs –
February 13th, 2026. The Industry–University Cooperation Foundation of Kwangwoon University (Director Youngwook Jung) signed memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with three organizations—Mangusta Capital (CEO Kevin Jiang), The Way Company (CEO Minkyoung Kim), and Seattle Partners (CEO ED Lee)—to support the global expansion and investment attraction of startup companies. The agreements were signed during CES 2026, held in Las Vegas, USA, from Tuesday, January 6 to Friday, January 9.
These agreements were arranged on the occasion of CES 2026 to introduce promising technology-based startups, including those specializing in AI, supported by Kwangwoon University’s Industry–University Cooperation Foundation to the global market and to establish a foundation for overseas expansion. The participating organizations plan to promote collaboration in global markets such as Korea and the United States by: △ building cooperative frameworks to support startups’ global expansion △ fostering entrepreneurial talent △ establishing R&D collaboration and commercialization systems.
From left: Louis Jin Diesel, Partner at Mangusta Capital; Kevin Jiang, CEO; Haeju Lim, Senior Staff Member at the Industry–University Cooperation Foundation of Kwangwoon University; and Jongchan Jang, Staff Member.
The Way Company is a global accelerator headquartered in Toronto, Canada. It supports startups seeking to enter the North American market, particularly Canada, by providing Proof of Concept (PoC) opportunities with local companies as well as legal and business consulting services. In 2025, it co-hosted the K-GLOBE Canada Korea Startup Summit with Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups, playing a key role as a gateway to the North American market.
From left: ED Lee, CEO of Seattle Partners; Jaehee Song, CTO; Haeju Lim, Senior Staff Member at the Industry–University Cooperation Foundation of Kwangwoon University; and Jonghan Park, Executive Director at SparkLabs.
Seattle Partners is a global accelerator based in Seattle, one of the three major tech hubs in the United States and home to the headquarters of Amazon and Microsoft. Through startup networks such as Techstars Seattle, it serves as a key bridge to the U.S. market by facilitating funding matches, conducting Proof of Concept (PoC) projects, and building long-term partnerships. Jaehee Song, CTO of Seattle Partners, is an alumnus of Kwangwoon University’s Department of Electronic Engineering.
Kevin Jiang, CEO of Mangusta Capital, stated, “We have strong interest in Korean technology companies, particularly in the AI sector. Through this MOU with Kwangwoon University, we hope to become a key link in discovering promising companies and supporting their global expansion.” Minkyoung Kim, CEO of The Way Company, remarked, “We will support Kwangwoon University’s outstanding technology-based companies in successfully entering the highly concentrated and advanced Canadian market.” Jaehee Song, CTO of Seattle Partners, added, “Seattle, as one of the three major tech hubs in the United States and home to Amazon and Microsoft, provides an optimal environment for Kwangwoon University’s ICT and deep-tech companies to expand, and Seattle Partners will serve as a bridge for their entry.”
Youngwook Jung, Director of the Industry–University Cooperation Foundation at Kwangwoon University, said, “This agreement lays the groundwork for the global expansion of Kwangwoon University’s outstanding tech startups. With cooperative frameworks now established with leading global institutions, we will devote our full efforts to supporting their global advancement.”
Kwangwoon University is leading the startup ecosystem in northeastern Seoul and supports startups throughout their entire lifecycle through diverse entrepreneurial infrastructure and scale-up programs. The university places particular emphasis on student and faculty startups as well as the development of region-based companies, while continuously expanding infrastructure and strengthening support systems to help innovative enterprises achieve global growth.
