Why Global Tech Brands Are Launching in Korea Through Crowdfunding — Insights from BEYOND Expo 2026

In May 2026, Wadiz joined BEYOND Expo 2026 at The Venetian Macao.

The event brought together around 30,000 attendees, more than 1,200 exhibitors, and over 400 speakers from across the global technology ecosystem.

Under the theme “AI: Digital to Physical,” the exhibition showed how artificial intelligence is moving beyond software and becoming part of real products, services, and everyday life.

For Wadiz, BEYOND Expo was an opportunity to meet global tech brands, introduce innovative Korean products, and explore how crowdfunding can help brands launch in Korea and validate market demand.

Korean innovation on a global stage

At the Wadiz booth, visitors experienced four products from Korean brands:

• For me buds, smart earbuds for personalized sleep care
• Ionic Cryo Stick Ultra, an AI-powered cryo beauty device
• Nemonic AI, an AI-powered sticky note printer
• b.ring Pro, a smart ring for health and sleep tracking

The products covered sleep care, beauty tech, AI printing, and digital health.

Although each product served a different purpose, they shared one clear direction: using technology to solve everyday problems.

Buyers, accelerators, and incubators visited the booth to explore the products and request connections with their brands.

Their questions also went beyond product features.

“Which points would appeal most to Korean consumers?”

“How could this product be introduced through crowdfunding?”

These conversations showed that global tech companies are increasingly focused not only on what to build, but also on where to test it first.

Why Asia crowdfunding matters

On May 28, Wadiz CEO David Shin joined the BGlobal Summit alongside Japan’s Makuake and Taiwan’s zeczec.

The session, titled “The East Asian Launchpad: Mastering Multi-market Crowdfunding Strategies,” explored how local crowdfunding platforms can support product launches across Korea, Japan, and Taiwan.

Although these markets are geographically close, consumer behavior and product expectations differ.

This makes local platforms an important part of any Asia launch strategy.

During the session, Wadiz introduced Korea as a market with:

Fast consumer response

Strong interest in new technology

High expectations for product quality

Clear and immediate market feedback

For global brands, crowdfunding offers a way to test product-market fit before investing in full-scale distribution.

This is why Asia crowdfunding is becoming more than a way to raise funds. It is also becoming a strategy for market validation and cross-border product launches.

What global brands wanted to know

Wadiz also hosted an open networking session for overseas brands interested in entering the Korean market.

The program was organized by Wadiz’s global business team, and Martin Ziming Mo, Head of China Business.

Around 20 teams joined individual consultations with the Wadiz team.

The most common questions included:

“Would Korean consumers be interested in this product?”

“What should we emphasize when launching on Wadiz?”

“How is Wadiz different from Kickstarter or Indiegogo?”

“Can a product already sold overseas launch in Korea?”

Many brands viewed Korea not simply as another sales destination, but as a market where they could validate demand before expanding further.

Global crowdfunding platforms provide access to broad international audiences. Wadiz offers a more direct connection to Korean consumers and their market-specific expectations.

Through crowdfunding, brands can introduce a product, measure demand, collect feedback, and refine their Korea market entry strategy.

Why Korea is becoming a market validation hub

One of the clearest insights from BEYOND Expo 2026 was that Korea is gaining attention as a testbed for global AI and tech products.

Global brands are drawn to Korea because of its:

Digitally active consumer base

Rapid adoption of new products

Strong early adopter culture

High standards for design, quality, and value

The exhibition also showed how quickly AI is expanding into real-world use cases.

Beyond robotics and AI hardware, technology was connected with sports, wellness, entertainment, content, and investment.

The official UFC SPORT booth next to Wadiz, for example, highlighted performance analysis, recovery technology, data-driven training, and fan experience platforms.

AI products are no longer evaluated only by their technical capabilities. They are increasingly judged by how naturally they fit into everyday life.

From conversations to new opportunities

The conversations that began at the booth and networking session continued through business matching meetings with brands and potential partners.

Martin Ziming Mo, who joined Wadiz as Head of China Business following the opening of its Shenzhen office in April 2026, also met Chinese technology brands throughout the event.

Shenzhen is one of Asia’s leading hubs for hardware, manufacturing, and AI devices.

By strengthening its local network, Wadiz is working to discover promising global brands and connect them with opportunities in the Korean market.

A short conversation at an exhibition can begin with a product introduction and develop into discussions about market validation, local consumer feedback, partnerships, and future expansion.

Why Wadiz

Wadiz is positioned as both an innovation platform and an Asia crowdfunding platform, connecting global brands with Korean consumers.

For international brands, Wadiz can support the journey from:

Product introduction → Market validation → Consumer feedback → Expansion

By connecting Asia’s innovation ecosystem with the Korean market, Wadiz aims to help more global brands test demand and prepare for their next stage of growth.

The takeaway

The key question we heard at BEYOND Expo was clear:

Where should global innovation be tested first?

For a growing number of AI and tech brands, Korea is becoming part of the answer.

And within the growing Asia crowdfunding ecosystem, Wadiz is becoming the place where global brands can meet Korean consumers, validate market potential, and begin their next launch.

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