USC’s Team Dory pitching in the finals of GSSC Worlds 2025 in Seoul. May 2025.
At a time when universities are navigating tighter budgets, USC students are pioneering new ways to create global learning opportunities through external funding and international partnerships.
In May 2026, 17 USC students — two competing teams and seven student organizers — will travel fully funded to Seoul, South Korea. They’ll represent USC at the Global Student Startup Competition (GSSC), held in conjunction with the Asian Leadership Conference (ALC).
The competition, — co-founded in 2025 by Mike Lee, senior lecturer of digital entrepreneurship and applied computing at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering; Gigi Wang of UC Berkeley; Liz Lee, founder of I in We; and the Asian Leadership Conference — brings together top undergraduate innovators from around the world. The program blends cross-cultural collaboration, startup development and real-world mentorship, culminating on the main stage of the ALC, one of Asia’s most prestigious gatherings of global executives, policymakers and entrepreneurs.
Expanding Access Through External Support
Through external sponsorships and international partnerships, USC students are accessing world-class, fully funded experiential programs that prepare them for global careers in technology, entrepreneurship and innovation.
“The Global Student Startup Competition shows what’s possible when education meets collaboration,” said Lee, co-founder and co-chair of GSSC. “Through creative partnerships, we’re enabling students to learn, innovate and lead globally —without financial barriers.”
Participation is open to all USC undergraduates, regardless of major. Two five-member student teams will represent USC in Seoul, competing alongside peers from UC Berkeley, Harvard, Cornell, Stanford, Oxford, Aalto University, Ewha Womans University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) and Korea University, with additional institutions expected to join.
“Presenting in Korea at both GSSC and the Asian Leadership Conference was an unforgettable journey,” said Eric Almendral, a USC participant in GSSC Worlds 2025. “It was an honor to represent USC, and this opportunity helped me grow immensely. I’ve already started encouraging underclassmen to get involved.”
Zoe Beach, another GSSC 2025 participant, reflected on the program’s lasting impact: “Because of its unique international foundation, GSSC provided me with community, mentorship and professional opportunities that couldn’t have been possible anywhere else. The growth I experienced in the months leading up to the competition and the relationships and thoughtful conversations after have continued to serve me well into my post-grad career.”
2026 Theme and Global Mentorship
The 2026 theme, “Next Generation of Culture & Media: Empowering Connection & Truth,” challenges the next generation of entrepreneurs to reimagine how creativity, technology, storytelling and media can empower and support the evolving mechanisms of human connection.
To help student teams bring their ideas to life, GSSC pairs each group with world-class mentors from across technology, media and entrepreneurship. This year’s program will feature 20 global mentors representing companies such as Disney+, Google, YouTube, Netflix, TikTok, Live Nation, Duolingo, Techstars and the European Innovation Academy.
These mentors — leaders in innovation, media, and entrepreneurship — will guide student teams through workshops, pitch development and cross-cultural collaboration.
USC Organizing Team: Trojans Behind the Scenes
The Global Student Startup Competition is led and organized by USC students in partnership with I in We, formerly Girls in Tech Korea. The student organizing team coordinates programming, mentorship, marketing, branding and university relations across continents, showcasing how Trojans lead both in front of and behind the global stage.
GSSC 2026 USC Organizing Team
2026 USC Organizing Team:
- Jade Bahng (senior) – managing director
- Selina Mejia Cristobal (junior) – director of marketing and social media
- Praew Kedpradit (junior) – director of brand strategy
- Manuela Berrio (junior) – director of programming and mentor relations
- Grace Li (junior) – director of international university and student relations (GSSC x USC)
- Miraya Agarwal (senior) – director, GSSC x India
- Julie Duong (senior) – program manager
“It’s an honor to help bring together students, mentors and universities from around the world,” said Jade Bahng, a USC Annenberg student and managing director. “We’re building something that goes beyond competition; it’s about creating lasting friendships that will evolve into valuable global partnerships as we become the leaders of the next generation.”
Expanding to India: GSSC x India
Building on the success of GSSC Worlds 2025 in Seoul, the organizing team is also launching GSSC x India, a new regional edition designed to expand access for undergraduate founders in South Asia.
Led by Miraya Agarwal, director of GSSC x India, the program will serve as a regional qualifying platform that identifies and supports emerging student entrepreneurs from India by hosting more than twelve Indian universities who will compete to become the top team from GSSC x India. The winning team will receive full sponsorship to attend GSSC Worlds 2026 in Seoul, joining peers from universities across the globe.
This new initiative underscores GSSC’s mission to make entrepreneurial education more inclusive, cross-cultural, and globally connected, with USC students playing a central role in expanding its reach.
GSSC Worlds in Seoul
The 2026 competition will take place May 17–21 in Seoul. The program includes a three-day pitch bootcamp, focused on refining ideas and presentation skills—followed by final pitches at the Asian Leadership Conference, where teams present to global leaders, investors and executives.
The initiative reflects USC’s ongoing commitment to externally funded, globally engaged education.
“Through partnerships like GSSC,” Lee added, “our students gain the cultural fluency, leadership skills and international networks that define the next generation of innovators. For me, the future of higher education in the era of YouTube and AI is funded global, in-person experiences.”
Get Involved & More Information
GSSC x USC 2025 pitch competition. March 2025
GSSC x USC is selecting two teams for 2026. The first will be an all-star team that will be selected at the end of Fall 2025, who will come together to form a new venture. The second team will be selected through the GSSC x USC Pitch Competition in mid-Spring 2026. Organizing students for 2027 will be selected at the end of Spring 2026.
For more information, contact Grace Li at gmli@usc.edu, visit globalstudentstartup.org and follow GSSC on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Published on December 10th, 2025
Last updated on December 10th, 2025
