Southeast Asian AI Startups Win Regional Prizes
Indonesian, South Korean and Philippine startups take the top three awards at the Korea-ASEAN AI Youth Festa 2026, with pitches still at the award stage.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Artificial Intelligence
Indonesian cybersecurity startup Peris.ai won the first prize of $20,000 at the Korea-ASEAN AI Youth Festa 2026, held November 4 to 5 in Taguig City. South Korea's Star Picker Inc. took second prize ($10,000) and Philippine startup AtoAni took third ($5,000). The competition is an award event, not a product launch; the winners' technologies are at the pitch stage.
Why it matters
The contest, organized by South Korea's National IT Industry Promotion Agency with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, pairs AI and tech startups from across Southeast Asia and South Korea with prize funding and regional visibility. It signals where cross-border AI and startup activity in the region is heading, with prizes rewarding scalability and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals alongside technical merit.
The contest scored entries on five weighted-by-judgment criteria, with prize amounts of $20,000, $10,000 and $5,000 for the top three. The source does not give technical benchmarks for any winning system, so performance claims remain unverified.
The players
Peris.ai
Indonesian cybersecurity and tech startup that won first prize at the Korea-ASEAN AI Youth Festa 2026.
Star Picker Inc.
South Korean startup developing motorcycle accident detection and response technology, which took second prize; co-founder and CEO Park Choojin said it plans to expand across other Southeast Asian countries.
AtoAni
Philippine startup with an agriculture platform connecting local producers and cooperatives to market demand, which took third prize.
National IT Industry Promotion Agency
South Korean government agency that co-organized the festival with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
The details
Entrants were judged on five parameters: technology and innovation, market opportunity, global scalability and expansion, team capability and readiness, and linkages with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and social impact. Star Picker Inc.'s pitch addressed motorcycle accident detection and response, while AtoAni's agriculture-focused pitch aims to match market demand with local producers and cooperatives. Peris.ai was one of 24 total participants from Southeast Asia and South Korea.
Timeline
November 4 to 5, 2026: Korea-ASEAN AI Youth Festa 2026 held in Taguig City.
November 5, 2026: Winners announced at the close of the event.
The Tech Race
The festival is co-organized by South Korea's National IT Industry Promotion Agency with ASEAN, placing it inside a broader government push to build AI startup pipelines in Southeast Asia. Winners' pitches range from automotive safety to agricultural marketplaces, showing the regional race spans applied verticals rather than a single flagship technology.
The prizes go directly to the three winning startups, but the source does not say when or how their products will reach users. For now, the practical effect is limited to these teams' expansion plans, such as Star Picker Inc.'s stated intent to enter other Southeast Asian markets.
The takeaway
Watch whether Star Picker Inc. announces its first market entry outside South Korea, since the CEO has said expansion across Southeast Asia is planned. Regional prize winners like these often reveal their next funding or pilot deployments within months of a contest.
Further reading
Explore more Artificial Intelligence coverage to see how regional startup competitions fit into the wider AI landscape.
