B-Startup Challenge Draws 445 Applicants; INTELLIZ Reaches Final Round at 44.5 to 1
Applicants to the 8th edition rose to 445 from 312 a year earlier, and 10 companies reached the final round. INTELLIZ advanced in the manufacturing field.
INTELLIZ, a Korean AI machine vision company led by CEO Hyunsik Na, was among the 10 finalists, in the manufacturing field, at the 8th B-Startup Challenge, which drew 445 applicants from across Korea, WelfareTV Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam reported on October 8, 2026. With 10 chosen from 445, the competition ratio at the finalist stage was 44.5 to 1. According to Newsis, applicants rose to 445 from 312 a year earlier. The competition is co-hosted by the City of Busan, BNK Busan Bank and Busan MBC (Gukje News). According to WelfareTV Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, three of the 10 finalists are based in the Busan area. INTELLIZ, headquartered in Cheonan, reached the final round from outside Busan. INTELLIZ was also selected for BiiG WAVE in the second half of 2025. Thirty-four companies applied and five were selected; Bridge Economy put the competition ratio at 7 to 1 and listed INTELLIZ among them. In 2024, it received the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award at the Integrated Competition for the Public-Private Open Innovation Support Program. Founded in 2021, INTELLIZ builds a physical AI inspection platform that connects imaging, AI judgment, pre-install validation and operation. By the company's tally (October 2026), it had at least 30 paid deployments in six industries. References: WelfareTV Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam, Gukje News, Newsis, Bridge Economy