KAIST, 10 Years Ago Received 400 Shares Worth 2 Million Won Now Valued at 5 Billion Won

Successful IPO of School Startup Brings Great Benefits
'HuboAppa' Honorary Professor Oh Junho, Donated Shares at Startup in 2011, Recently Went Public
Stock Price Soared from 2 Million KRW to 5.039 Billion KRW
Fund Donation Ceremony on the 25th... Largest Amount in History

▲Professor Oh Junho of KAIST and Hubo.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 25th that Professor Emeritus Oh Junho of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, a renowned roboticist known as the 'Hubo Dad,' has donated 5 billion KRW.

Professor Oh is a world-renowned roboticist and the creator of 'Hubo,' the first bipedal humanoid robot in Korea. In 2011, he founded 'Rainbow Robotics,' the 39th startup company within the university, and donated 400 shares, equivalent to 20% of the company's stock (worth about 2 million KRW), to the school. These shares increased to 200,000 shares through stock splits and capital increases, and among them, 198,000 shares (worth 5.039 billion KRW) were sold after the company's listing on KOSDAQ in February this year and donated as an endowment fund. This is the largest amount among the development funds from KAIST's university startups.

Rainbow Robotics, founded by Professor Oh within the university, later developed the DRC-Hubo and won first place at the DARPA Robotics Challenge, a global disaster robot competition, surpassing robot powerhouses such as the United States and Japan. After retiring in 2020, Professor Oh currently serves as the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of Rainbow Robotics. He oversees various technological research and development efforts to enhance robotic functions, including humanoid bipedal robot platforms, quadruped robots, collaborative robots, and the development of core mechanisms for astronomical and space observation.

Dr. Oh Junho

KAIST plans to use the donated 5 billion KRW as the 'Oh Junho Fund' to support the university's development. Professor Oh said, "I feel great fulfillment in leaving a precedent of a virtuous cycle where research funding provided to the university leads to startups and then returns to the university." He added, "I hope this fund will be used effectively to contribute even a little to KAIST's advancement."