Nearthlab Clears KOSDAQ Screening Hurdle, Targets IPO Within the Year

SEOUL, South Korea – June 24, 2026 – Nearthlab has received Korea Exchange (KRX) approval for its preliminary KOSDAQ listing application. Moving ahead with its IPO roadmap via lead underwriter Samsung Securities, the company aims to list within this year, making it Korea’s first publicly traded physical AI drone company.

Nearthlab is leveraging Korea’s specialized tech-listing track, a route reserved for high-growth disruptors. The company’s technological maturity was recently validated with back-to-back 'A' ratings from independent tech evaluators.

This review was notably conducted under the KRX’s newly minted "Tailored Tech Listing Guidelines." Introduced in January, the framework applies stringent, niche-specific benchmarks to the AI sector, dividing it into hardware, apps, and Physical AI. Nearthlab comfortably cleared the bar by proving not just the sophistication of its Physical AI-driven flight tech, but its proven track record of converting that tech into hard revenue across both the renewable energy and defense sectors.

Founded in 2015, Nearthlab spent its first decade dominating the wind turbine inspection market before expanding into defense in 2024. By weaponizing ten years of proprietary AI technology, the company has taken the global defense market by storm with two flagship platforms: KAiDEN, a C-UAS interceptor, and XAiDEN, a swarm loitering munition.

The XAiDEN platform recently secured a $10 million export contract to the Middle East, the largest single defense drone deal in Korean history. Nearthlab has also expanded into North America via a partnership with Red Cat Holdings, and recently signed an MOU with domestic defense giant LIG D&A to co-develop an end-to-end air defense shield.

With geopolitical tensions reshaping modern warfare, the global appetite for combat-proven, cost-effective autonomous attrition assets is skyrocketing. Nearthlab’s commercial and military convergence leaves it uniquely positioned to capture this massive tailwind.

"Clearing the KRX screening validates the Physical AI framework we’ve perfected over 11 years," said Jay Choi, CEO and Co-Founder of Nearthlab. "As we finalize our IPO this year, we are positioning Nearthlab to lead the global autonomous drone race."