"There's Something to Gain Even from Failure"... Samsung 'C-Lab Outside' Achieves 70% of Target in 3 Years

Startup Support CSR Program
Targeting 300 Nurtured from 2018 to 2022... Over 200 Achieved So Far

The office space supported by 'C-Lab Outside,' a social contribution program promoted by Samsung Electronics aimed at nurturing external startups [Photo by Samsung Electronics]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] 'Healthy Friend' is a startup in Busan that manufactures home training exercise equipment. It was founded in 2016 by bodybuilder Hwang Se-don, who has 20 years of experience. In the early days, the company struggled to find even an outsourcing partner to handle product manufacturing. However, it gained opportunities through Samsung Electronics' domestic startup support program, 'C-Lab Outside.' They secured office space and received advice from Samsung experts on improving product durability materials and developing sales channels. Thanks to this support, they successfully led overseas crowdfunding in the US and Japan, increasing sales volume fivefold compared to before.

According to Samsung Electronics on the 15th, C-Lab Outside, which started with the goal of nurturing 300 external startups over five years from 2018 to 2022, achieved about 70% of its target within three years. By last year, it had supported a total of 162 external startups and is currently nurturing 40 startups, surpassing 200 in total.

The benefits provided by C-Lab Outside include up to one year of ▲free office space ▲mentoring by Samsung Electronics experts ▲support for participation in global exhibitions such as the world's largest IT and home appliance exhibition (CES), Mobile World Congress (MWC), and Berlin International Consumer Electronics Fair (IFA) ▲and up to 100 million KRW in funding. Unlike programs promoted by the government or public institutions, Samsung's social contribution activities aimed at co-growth with small and medium enterprises do not require results or sharing of intellectual property (IP).

A Samsung Electronics official stated, "Following an internal policy that there is something to learn even from failure, we maintain the same standards for nurturing both internal and external startups." A startup representative said, "For small businesses, solving issues like office space and meals is already a challenge. Providing the most needed support on-site and Samsung's verification of small business products externally is a great help."

As part of its social contribution, Samsung has shared technical know-how with small and medium enterprises in various fields. A representative example is diagnostic kits, whose demand surged during the COVID-19 pandemic last year. Previously, diagnostic kits were produced in small quantities manually by small developers, but as the infectious disease spread, orders flooded in, making it impossible to meet delivery deadlines. At this time, Samsung experts joined to support mold development for mass production and automation systems for equipment and logistics, significantly increasing production volume.

Samsung Electronics focuses on corporate social responsibility (CSR) under the keywords 'domestic economic revitalization and job creation,' emphasizing startups, future technologies, smart factories, and win-win cooperation with partner companies. It also puts effort into youth education for nurturing future talent. Earlier, Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong emphasized in a letter sent to employees while detained in January, "We must faithfully fulfill the company's fundamental duties of investment and job creation and further become 'Samsung that fulfills social responsibility.'"