[IT Donga X SBA Joint Project] IT Donga, in collaboration with the Seoul Economic Promotion Agency (SBA), announces the Ultra-Gap Startup 1000+ Project.

This project vividly showcases promising startups in 10 ultra-gap sectors that will lead Korea's future, and how they and demand companies grow together and achieve results. The Seoul Economic Promotion Agency (SBA, CEO Kim Hyun-woo) announced the 10 startups in the "Future Mobility" sector that will participate in the Ultra-Gap Startup 1000+ Project's Linkup Program. The project is overseen by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startups and Entrepreneurship Development. The SBA, as the project's open innovation lead organization, will be in charge of the Linkup Program.

The Linkup program selects 27 startups across five sectors (future mobility, physical AI robots, robotics, eco-friendliness, and energy) and supports their growth alongside large corporations. The future mobility industry is transitioning from hardware manufacturing to software, requiring next-generation user experiences and security technologies. However, this requires high quality standards and long technology adoption periods.

The SBA developed projects that reflect the characteristics of the future mobility industry, the demand, and the technologies of large corporations and startups. Three large corporations participated: Continental Group, Mercedes-Benz Korea, and Seohan Innovation.

The program will select 10 startups with the technologies and capabilities to implement nine projects : ▲athermal management ▲driver health monitoring ▲airbags ▲digital vehicle personalization ▲personal information protection ▲lighting ▲electric vehicles and autonomous driving. The program will conduct joint development and technology verification. The Continental Group is conducting Proof of Concept (PoC) collaborations with seven companies : ▲Wilco Corporation ▲AU Corporation ▲Voinosis Corporation ▲Deep Insight Corporation ▲Yellowknife Corporation ▲Deeping Source Corporation ▲Moflat Corporation. Mercedes-Benz Korea will collaborate with Remplir Corporation and Softberry on two battery-related projects. Seohan Innovation plans to collaborate with Dogugonggan Co., Ltd. on a PoC related to autonomous driving.

Super Gap Startup 1000+ Project Future Mobility Linkup Program Site / Source: SBA
 

Among them, AU Corporation has received NET New Technology Certification for its "Radar-Based Biometric Passenger Detection Technology." They are collaborating with the Continental Group on projects to improve passenger safety by detecting passenger breathing and movement through in-vehicle biometric signals and recognizing their location. Softberry is a notable company in the electric vehicle charging market, operating a data business related to electric vehicle charging platforms. Building on this foundation, the company plans to develop specialized services and content within EVs to provide convenient transportation for customers and collaborate with Mercedes-Benz Korea on an "On-Device AI-Based Battery Management System" project to promote the adoption of electric vehicles.

Dogugonggan Co., Ltd. is attracting attention as Korea's only commercialized patrol robot company. Its robot sensors can detect abnormalities such as obstacles, fire, and hazardous gases, and its technology enables remote control through real-time cameras and thermal imaging. The company will collaborate with Seohan Innovation on the "Autonomous Patrol and Security Mobility Solution" project.

Selected companies will receive up to KRW 100 million in proof-of-concept funding and approximately five months of joint technology development and commercialization support with major corporations. The SBA stated, "We selected ultra-gap startups to identify and implement demand-driven projects. We anticipate positive results from concept verification and collaboration."

Cha Ju-kyung, IT Donga (racingcar@itdonga.com)