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A Week After NextRise 2025: What 500 Conversations Taught Us

It started as a chance to showcase Alpacon, but quickly became something more. Over two packed days, Alpacon came to life before our eyes.

July 4, 2025

Setting the Stage

Our journey to NextRise 2025 began long before the exhibition hall doors opened. As we shared in our pre-event article, we saw this as more than just another booth—it was an opportunity to showcase Alpacon’s value at South Korea’s largest global startup fair and make our presence known to the broader startup and tech ecosystem.

To make every conversation count, we planned everything down to the last detail. For investors and partners, we built custom pitch decks that spoke directly to their focus areas. For developers and newcomers, our engineers designed hands-on demo missions—letting participants connect to a live server, run real commands, and solve challenges.

We also created brochures to clearly explain the product, printed standout banners for maximum visibility, and prepared branded swag to give away as mission rewards. The day before the event, our team arrived at COEX early to set up the booth and rehearse our engagement flow. From technical details to visual design to crowd engagement, we approached every element as part of a tightly coordinated first impression.

By the time the doors opened, we were more than ready—we were excited to see how Alpacon would resonate in the real world.

Live at the Booth—Real Users, Real Reactions

Over the course of two days, our booth became a hub for developers, security professionals, students, and curious builders alike, with over 500 people stopping by to explore what Alpacon could do. Rather than relying solely on presentations or explanations, we invited visitors to explore the product for themselves through live demo missions—connecting to a real server, running commands, and searching for a hidden clue inside the server.

To solve the mission, participants had to use Alpacon’s core features, experiencing firsthand how security and simplicity don’t have to be trade-offs. And because Alpacon requires no setup and offers a free plan through alpacon.io, anyone could start in seconds—just open their browser and go.

Some visitors even went a step further. Those with their own servers connected on the spot within minutes, using Alpacon’s frictionless interface. Our developers spend most of their time behind screens, imagining how people might use what they make. However, at the booth, they got to see users interact with Alpacon in real time. It brought Alpacon to life and offered the kind of validation no dashboard metric ever could.

What impressed people the most was how clearly Alpacon solved problems they’d been struggling with for years. Their reactions mirrored the same frustrations that led us to build Alpacon in the first place—but this time, they saw those pain points dissolve. Hearing people say things like “Wait, that’s all I have to do?” and “This is exactly what we’ve needed for ages.” was powerful external validation that no roadmap could replicate. It brought us back to the core problems Alpacon is built to solve.

Nearly 50 people signed up for Alpacon during the two-day event—a strong signal of product-market fit, especially for a technical DevSecOps tool. Unlike mass-market apps, Alpacon targets a niche audience of infrastructure and security teams. In that context, every sign-up wasn’t just a number—it reflected clear intent from practitioners who immediately saw how Alpacon could fit into their workflow. In a market where the relevant user base is small—even more so in Korea—this kind of traction isn’t easy to come by, especially in such a focused space.

Beyond the Pitch Deck—Turning Interest into Opportunity

With more than 500 startups exhibiting at NextRise 2025, investors had plenty of options. So we were proud to be selected for multiple one-on-one meetings—a strong early signal that Alpacon sparked real interest.

During these sessions, we walked investors through Alpacon’s architecture and how our zero-trust model aligns with growing trends in DevSecOps and infrastructure security. The investors recognized the structural value of what we’re building in modern environments. Several, including Saudi Aramco, Hyundai Motor Group ZER01NE, and Kakao Ventures, expressed strong interest in our global roadmap and potential enterprise pilots.

We’re excited that many of those conversations turned into follow-ups—whether for a deeper technical dive, partnership discussion, or early investment exploration. For us, it was a clear sign that Alpacon resonates well outside the booth.

A Different Kind of Room

While NextRise 2025 brought energy and scale, the KAIST Startup Scaleup Summit 2025 offered depth and focus. Running alongside the first day of NextRise, this closed-door event gathered 100 KAIST-selected startups, 20 investment firms, and a group of student innovators—all hand-picked for relevance and readiness. This more intimate setting let us step back and have more thoughtful conversations.

We had the chance to formally pitch Alpacon during our dedicated session. The investors and peers in the room asked the kind of technical questions only seasoned builders do—probing, practical, and forward-looking. The caliber of people in the room made the conversations feel both grounded and galvanizing.

What We’re Taking Forward

We walked in with a product to showcase. We walked out with a sharper sense of why it matters—and who it’s for. Seeing people interact with Alpacon in person gave us a fresh perspective and renewed focus. In many ways, we rediscovered it ourselves.

That sense of clarity deepened within the team. In the lead-up and especially during the two days on site, our team operated as one. Even in our downtime, the conversations kept flowing—laughing about what surprised us, unpacking what landed well, and sketching out ideas for next time. That shared energy didn’t fade—it fueled our next steps. We’ve already begun channeling it into follow-ups, roadmap updates, and go-to-market experiments.

The momentum extended outward as well. Our LinkedIn and GitHub followings doubled in the days after the event, indicating that people weren’t just curious—they wanted to stay connected. That kind of continued attention gave us both encouragement and responsibility to keep building.

This momentum didn’t end with the event—it’s shaping what comes next. Stick with us.