CJ Successfully Concludes 1st Demo Day of Startup Support Program 'Ssiat'

[Asia Economy Reporter Song Seung-yoon] CJ announced on the 27th that it successfully completed the first 'Demo Day' event of the open innovation program 'CIAT (CJ Innovated and Advanced Tech),' which supports startup growth.

'CIAT Demo Day' is an event where startups showcase their collaboration results and business models with CJ to attract investment. It was held in partnership with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, and the Bucheon Industry Promotion Agency. CIAT is a program involving six major CJ affiliates, including CJ CheilJedang, CJ Logistics, and CJ ENM, supporting startups in their 3 to 7 years growth phase.

The event featured 10 startups from the first CIAT cohort, selected last September: DBFirst, Cimes, AirOrder, AgileSoda, WiseSolution, Jaemiitneun Yeonguso, GDFLab, TechVillage, Hanguk Jajeongeo Nara, and HubNet Company, who introduced their technologies and services. Representatives from CJ, Timewise Investment, LX Investment, Big Bang Angels, and SparkLabs participated as judges, discussing growth potential and reviewing follow-up support. Combining judges' scores and online voting results, three outstanding companies were selected.

The grand prize went to AgileSoda, which developed a product-specific review keyword extraction model. The excellence awards were given to Cimes, which developed an AI R&D data automatic extraction and model automatic learning solution, and GDFLab, which developed UHD content AI remastering services. The second CIAT cohort will select 10 startups in three fields?Food & Bio, Logistics, and Entertainment & Media?with announcements scheduled for next month. CJ plans to continue follow-up support such as corporate promotion and investment attraction opportunities for startups participating in Demo Day.

A CJ official said, "This event was a meaningful opportunity to confirm the potential for future innovation," adding, "We will continue to discover promising companies and serve as a stepping stone for their growth, contributing to the creation of a healthy startup ecosystem."