One Day, 10 Universities and a Room Full of Startup Ideas

By evening, the lobby hall at the University of Utah Asia Campus had become a pitch stage.

Students who had met only hours earlier were standing in front of judges, laptops open and ideas ready, pitching startup concepts shaped through a full day of mentoring, collaboration and fast-paced problem-solving.

On June 13, 2026, U Asia Campus hosted UAC StartUP Sprint, its first intercollegiate entrepreneurship bootcamp. The event brought together students from 10 universities across Korea and beyond, including the University of Utah Asia Campus, Yonsei University, Korea University Sejong Campus, Inha University, Kyungdong University, The University of Hong Kong, SUNY Korea, Ghent University Global Campus, Sejong University and Woosong University.

The day moved quickly. Students started the morning hearing from professionals in startups, venture investment, AI, media and global business. By afternoon, they were forming teams, meeting with mentors and turning early ideas into business concepts. By evening, they were on stage, presenting those ideas in a final pitch competition.

Industry speakers shared insights on entrepreneurship, business development and startup growth during the morning keynote sessions.

Students then worked closely with mentors to refine their ideas, test assumptions and develop stronger business models during the afternoon mentoring sessions.

In the final round, student teams presented their startup concepts to a panel of judges made up of industry professionals and mentors.

The grand prize went to a team from SUNY Korea for an AI-powered reading and publishing platform designed to help users turn personal stories into books, content and community experiences. The team received KRW 1 million for its idea.

Students from SUNY Korea celebrated their grand prize win at UAC StartUP Sprint for their AI-powered reading and publishing platform.

“Although I had no prior startup experience, the bootcamp helped me better understand entrepreneurship through the sessions and mentoring,” said Do-gyeong Oh, a Technological Systems Management student at SUNY Korea and representative of the winning team. “It was meaningful to exchange ideas with students from different universities and gain new perspectives.”

For U Asia Campus, the event marked a first: its first intercollegiate startup program. The goal was to create a space where students could collaborate across universities, majors and backgrounds—and experience what it feels like to build something from the ground up.

“This program was designed to give students the chance to challenge themselves beyond the boundaries of their schools and disciplines,” said Jacob Lee, assistant director of the Career and Internship Development Center at U Asia Campus. “We hope to continue creating opportunities that help students build global competencies, entrepreneurial thinking and practical problem-solving skills.”

More than a competition, UAC StartUP Sprint gave students a chance to move from idea to action in a single day—and to see entrepreneurship not as something distant, but as something they could start building now.