Development and Commercialization Supported by Jungjingong Youth Startup Academy
There is a cabinet with a black door that prevents you from seeing inside. However, when you place your hand on the sensor below the door, it lights up and reveals the interior clearly. This cabinet door is a 'Smart See-Through Window Panel' that allows you to look inside without opening the door. It utilizes a display panel whose transmittance changes according to the reflectance of LED (light-emitting diode) light and advanced sensor technology. This technology, which can be applied to various products such as storage cabinets, refrigerators, shoe racks, and columbarium niches, was independently developed by a domestic small and medium-sized enterprise located in Asan, Chungnam, called Intusi.
On the 25th, Oh Jaehwan, CEO of Intusi, said, “Smart windows have a wide range of applications and can save energy, so their use is expanding beyond home appliances to furniture and interior design.” Intusi’s technology uses the principle that a solid-state panel formed with nano-sized holes becomes transparent when exposed to light. Normally, the panel is an opaque black, but it is designed to become visible from the outside when it detects external motion or sound.
Intusi was selected as one of the ‘Materials, Parts, and Equipment Startup 100’ by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and was also chosen as a ‘First Penguin-type Startup’ by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. In July, it attracted an investment of 3 billion KRW from C&G Hightech, a semiconductor equipment specialist company, recognizing its technological capabilities.
CEO Oh researched and developed smartphone displays for over 10 years at a major domestic corporation. Although he was a leading expert in the display field, after resigning and starting his own business in 2018, he faced challenges such as lack of initial funding and difficulties in commercialization. To overcome these crises and continue his new challenge, he turned to the Chungnam Youth Startup Academy operated by the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency. The Youth Startup Academy, run by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, is Korea’s representative startup support program that discovers promising regional startups with innovative items and technologies, providing up to 100 million KRW in commercialization funds, office space, coaching, education, and market development support as a package throughout all startup stages.
After entering the Chungnam Youth Startup Academy in 2019, CEO Oh received support such as technical assistance for prototype production, business funding, expert education, and coaching, enabling him to develop the see-through display panel. The following year, he launched products incorporating the technology, such as a smart see-through cosmetics refrigerator. Additionally, by winning various competitions including the ‘Challenge K-Startup 2020 Special Award’ and the gold medal at the ‘Seoul International Invention Fair,’ he was able to attract interest from potential customers.
During the commercialization process, Intusi also received linked support from the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency’s policy funds. This was necessary because a significant amount of capital was required to establish production facilities such as factories. Initial raw material purchase costs and working capital were also needed. Based on the support from the agency, Intusi focused on product development, and its sales increased significantly from about 1.3 billion KRW in 2020 to over 3 billion KRW last year. It became a first-tier partner of a well-known domestic interior company and signed an export contract worth 1 million USD for see-through special panels with Costco at the ‘2024 First Half Export Boom-up Korea.’ CEO Oh stated, “Through technology development aligned with trends and stable growth, we will grow Intusi into a global company.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
