| The 9th Daegu Startup Awards Honor 10 Startups and 2 Contributors to Startup Support

Daegu Metropolitan City held the 9th Daegu Startup Awards on the 3rd at the Daegu Creative Economy Innovation Center (C-quad), awarding 10 outstanding startups that highlighted the local startup ecosystem and 2 contributors to startup support.

The Daegu Startup Awards, established in 2017, celebrates the achievements of local startups that achieved remarkable growth throughout the year and strengthens collaboration between startup support organizations and private networks. This year marks its 9th anniversary.

This year, in addition to the Daegu Mayor's Award, six new awards were created in collaboration with local innovation organizations, awarding a total of 10 startups.

The award-winning companies were rigorously selected through a recommendation committee and selection committee comprised of experts. Companies that excelled in the fields of robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) received significant attention.

Grand Prize winner ▲Geo Robot (CEO Kang Tae-hoon), a robot mobility platform service specialist, is leading the local robotics industry through proactive investment attraction and technology development. The company also received high praise for its contributions to expanding the startup ecosystem, including creating jobs for young people.

The Grand Prize winners were ▲Remplir (CEO Kim Su-jin), ▲Piaspace (CEO Yoo Hyun-soo), and ▲CocoH (CEO Tak Jin-hak).

Remplir is growing with the goal of achieving healthy and safe energy independence through the localization of core secondary battery components. Piaspace provides AI-based image analysis solutions and is securing global competitiveness through collaborations with major domestic and international companies. CocoH is leading the way in innovation in the beauty industry and creating youth employment by integrating generative AI and NFC payment technology.

This year's newly established Regional Organization Head Award (Excellence Award) went to : Oksan (CEO Son Chil-ho), Double M Social Company (CEO Kim Seon-mi), Biolink (CEO Hong Jeong-ho), MDX (CEO Yoon Deok-ho), Intertek Co., Ltd. (CEO Kim Jin-hoon), and Giro (CEO Lee Young-jun).

In the startup support category, which serves as a strong supporter of startups, Professor Kim Gyeong-yul of Keimyung University's Startup Support Team and Manager Kim Jeong-hoon of the Daegu Center for Creative Economy and Innovation were honored.

Hong Seong-ju, Deputy Mayor for Economic Affairs of Daegu Metropolitan City, stated, "This awards ceremony has once again confirmed the remarkable growth potential and innovative capabilities of Daegu startups. We will continue to collaborate closely with local innovation organizations to discover and nurture promising startups that will represent Daegu and further expand the startup ecosystem."

Reporter Oh Kyung-mook okmook@hankyung.com