Martial Arts, Hosting the '2021 Startup Storytelling Competition'

The 'Heungbune Gipseu' team, who won the grand prize with their smart pet cast at the '2021 Startup Storytelling Competition'. (Photo by Korea International Trade Association)

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] The Korea International Trade Association announced on the 5th that it jointly held the '2021 Startup Storytelling Competition' with the Industry-Academic Cooperation Foundation and the University Industry Technology Support Group.

This competition is an event started in 2019 by the three organizations working together to discover and nurture young entrepreneurs. This year’s competition, held the day before, saw 22 startup teams of university and graduate students apply, with the final 10 teams advancing to the main stage.

Among the 10 teams in the finals, the grand prize went to the 'Heungbune Gipseu' team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Jeju National University. The Heungbune Gipseu team presented smart casts for pets using machine learning-based size measurement software and shape-memory polymer materials. Shape-memory polymers are materials that deform and then restore their shape in response to external stimuli such as heat. The Heungbune Gipseu team utilized this to create smart casts for treating pet dislocations and fractures that are more cost-effective and higher performing compared to traditional bandage-type casts.

The gold and silver prizes were awarded to the 'C-Limp' team from Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST) and the 'Tenmilligram' team from Sungkyunkwan University, respectively. The C-Limp team, which won the gold prize, attracted attention with eco-friendly cultured meat grown from shrimp muscle cells, free from concerns about microplastics and heavy metals. The Tenmilligram team, awarded the silver prize, developed a media content asset management system, a video editing collaboration solution that supports rapid decision-making by participants in various fields during content production.

The three winning teams will receive prize money and consulting support for investment presentations (IR), and all 10 teams in the finals will be provided with startup and accelerating education from KAIST. Additionally, teams capable of mass-producing their products will receive support from the Trade Association for online overseas marketing services and overseas buyer matching.