Bithumb Startup Competition 1st Place Goes to Banpeu... Research on Autonomous Driving and More

Top 10 Promising Startups Finalized

On the morning of February 20th, at Seonghong Tower in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, the award ceremony for the 'Bithumb Startup Competition' took place. (From left in the photo) Dongkyu Kim, Vice President of Bithumb Investment, Yugeon Lee, Head of Banp, and Jaewon Lee, CEO of Bithumb, are taking a commemorative photo. Photo by Bithumb

Virtual asset exchange Bithumb announced on the 21st that ‘Banpeu,’ a company developing autonomous driving solutions, won first place in the ‘Bithumb Startup Competition.’

The Bithumb Startup Competition is part of a startup support project planned to promote co-growth with startups in celebration of Bithumb’s 10th anniversary. A total of 10 outstanding startups were awarded in this competition.

Taking first place was the technology company Banpeu, which develops tire management and autonomous driving operation solutions based on independently developed sensors. Banpeu received high evaluations for its potential for global expansion and growth, having collaborated with numerous overseas major commercial vehicle companies. Banpeu, selected as the first-place winner, was awarded a plaque and a total prize of 100 million KRW, with future discussions planned for investment review.

Yoo Geon Lee, Banpeu’s general manager, said, “We are pleased to promote Banpeu once again through the Bithumb Startup Competition and to have our technology recognized among many participating companies. We will continue to provide the most advanced technologies and products through collaboration with various domestic and international partners and strive to secure leadership in the next-generation mobility market.”

Second place was awarded to △ Difon, an energy-saving smart window solution company, △ Ames, a big data-based automotive service provider, and △ Contectors, a smart building management company, each receiving a plaque and a prize of 70 million KRW. Six teams placed third: △ Recle, △ Social Investing Lab, △ Soft Freak, △ Sixty Hertz, △ Offlight, and △ Ilmanbaekman, each receiving a plaque and a prize of 30 million KRW.

Jae Won Lee, CEO of Bithumb, said in his congratulatory remarks, “The Bithumb Startup Competition is a stepping stone for promising companies to showcase outstanding ideas and business models and to expand opportunities for investment attraction. Bithumb will continue to engage in active investment discussions with the awarded companies today and support startups in various fields to grow as leaders in future innovative technologies.”