On the 27th, Seo Byung-soo, a member of the People Power Party, visited CALAB Co., Ltd. (CEO Lee Seung-wook), a representative filter material startup in Busan.
CALAB is a convergent filter material company founded by scholars from Pusan National University and UNIST. It commercializes electrostatic-nano convergent materials to efficiently block fine dust and viruses while leading waste and carbon reduction with long filter lifespans. Based on its proprietary filter technology, CALAB has launched various products leading the ventilation filter, replaceable filter mask, and automotive filter markets through its own brand, AEREA.
Busan Union Technology Holdings, CALAB’s first investor, is an investment institution funded by Busan Metropolitan City, realized as a key initiative during Seo Byung-soo’s tenure as mayor of Busan. It is an organization leading startup cultivation and investment in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) region.
A CALAB representative stated, “Based on the initial investment from Busan Union Technology Holdings, we succeeded in developing core material technology, achieving outstanding results such as a ninefold sales growth and a fivefold increase in corporate value compared to the time of investment.”
During this visit, Seo Byung-soo said, “Even in a situation where it is not easy for startups to survive and grow locally, it is proud to see rapid growth alongside the pursuit of social and environmental values through investment by Busan City.”
QuantumCat, which joined the event, is a company founded by KAIST master’s and doctoral graduates. Its new technology is a novel catalyst exhibiting very high catalytic activity at room temperature, attracting significant attention for contributing to carbon neutrality. Recently, QuantumCat and CALAB established a Clean Tech Alliance to lead the cleantech field, promoting various projects utilizing each other’s materials across diverse sectors.
Meanwhile, CALAB was recently selected as the lead institution for a Korea Forest Service project developing upcycling technology for filter materials using discarded waste wood, in collaboration with Chungnam National University (principal investigator: Jang Yong-cheol), striving to advance technology through industry-academia cooperation.
Additionally, starting this year, CALAB will manage the air purification systems at all Busan subway stations in partnership with Busan Transportation Corporation, implementing an air purification system incorporating its proprietary convergent filter materials to protect citizens’ health from fine dust and viruses.
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