On the 21st, the ‘Innopolis Crowdfunding Online Demo Day’ event was held online in a non-face-to-face format on the official YouTube channel of the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation. Due to concerns about COVID-19 infection, the event was conducted through the YouTube channel and was successfully concluded with about 700 viewers tuning in.
Hosted by the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation and organized by the startup education company Intwin, this demo day was the final event of the crowdfunding support project operated by the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation since last year. It was held to provide follow-up investment opportunities after crowdfunding, selecting nine outstanding companies among both successful and unsuccessful crowdfunding participants.
The Innopolis Crowdfunding Online Demo Day energized the event by allowing not only the four judges present at the demo day venue but also online viewers participating remotely to engage in Q&A sessions with the companies. A total of 693 viewers (with a peak concurrent viewership of 207) watched the approximately three-hour event, showing great interest by leaving real-time questions and feedback for the participating companies.
Awarding was based on the combined evaluation of social value, business feasibility, execution capability, and expected impact, selecting three companies for the Grand Prize, Excellence Award, and Merit Award.
The Grand Prize was awarded to ‘SID Hub,’ which developed an AI ventilation system installed on windows. The product developed by SID Hub expels harmful indoor air and introduces clean air through a filter. It features an IoT-based system that can automatically replace the filter. Both the product and consumables have completed patent registration. Currently, the product is being introduced to public institutions and private online and offline markets such as senior centers, daycare centers, and schools.
‘Marorobot Tech,’ which introduced a parking robot, won the Excellence Award. The parking robot currently under development is undergoing a demonstration testbed in Bucheon City and other locations. Although it is being developed to lift cars onto a pallet, it is planned to be completed as a low-floor type in the future. Kim Deok-geun, CEO of Marorobot Tech, stated, “The parking robot can improve efficiency by 52% in the same area,” adding, “Since the market is open, we plan to complete the development with high quality.”
‘SM Planet,’ which develops smartphone solutions for the visually impaired, received the Merit Award. SM Planet explained, “We created the solution based on the lack of smartphone education for the visually impaired.” The service developed by the company is a solution that allows visually impaired users to use all smartphone functions through shortcuts and voice commands.
Additionally, the demo day featured ‘Central,’ which developed a VR headset that allows content viewing and eye exercises simultaneously; ‘Chobless,’ which introduced a personalized meal replacement called ‘Ria’; Sonic Dutch Korea, a manufacturer of cold brew coffee machines using ultrasonic vibration; and Baby Sleep Lab, a developer of baby life data-based services. Also participating were ‘Techtria INC,’ which presented ‘Mingle,’ an SNS-type content sharing platform for pet owners; and ‘Black Wider,’ which introduced an item equipped with a temperature sensor in pet registration chips to periodically measure pet body temperature.
Yang Seong-gwang, Chairman of the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation, said in his greeting, “It is difficult for everyone to succeed from the beginning,” and added, “We held the demo day to give companies that failed to attract investment last year a chance to try again and to provide follow-up investment opportunities to companies that have already secured investment. We hope this demo day will be a meaningful meeting between innovative companies and investors.”
Meanwhile, the crowdfunding support project hosted by the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation and organized by Intwin saw 134 companies apply, with 30 companies opening crowdfunding campaigns through education, consulting, and content production support, achieving results exceeding 1.83 billion KRW.
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