"We don't implant or attach microchips... We use biometric technology"

Pet Biometric Startup Spreads Wings Toward Global Stage
UNIST Student Startup 'Pairico' Selected for TIPS Program
Secures 500 Million KRW Funding... Promotes 'Biometric Solution' International Standardization

Students leading the UNIST student startup company Pairico. Pairico has been newly selected for TIPS.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The era of attaching or implanting microchips in pets is coming to an end!

A "university student startup" that has taken pet biometric international standardization as its business item has been selected for the government's startup support program, gaining wings for growth. They are targeting the global market.

UNIST (Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, President Lee Yong-hoon) student startup company "Pyrico (CEO Kim Tae-heon)" has been newly selected for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' private investment-led technology startup support program "TIPS".

This company, developing pet biometric recognition solutions, received up to 500 million KRW in funding, accelerating their business.

The TIPS program is a project that discovers and supports startups demonstrating growth potential based on excellent technology. When a private operator selects promising companies, the government co-invests to foster technology startups.

Pyrico, led by UNIST students, is developing individual identification technology using biometric information from pets' eyes and noses.

The multi-biometric recognition-based identification technology they developed has been adopted as an international standard agenda by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU-T), aiming for final agreement in 2023.

Kim Tae-heon, CEO of Pyrico (graduate student in Biomedical Engineering at UNIST), said, "Being selected for TIPS recognizes the growth potential of Pyrico's technology," adding, "We have received strong support to advance biometric recognition technology applicable to various pet breeds."

In June, Pyrico launched the mobile application "PeterPet," introducing a biometric recognition-based animal hospital treatment review sharing platform.

Application users can easily register their animals using Pyrico's technology and gain useful information and benefits.

Pyrico plans to promote the usefulness of multi-biometric recognition methods to pet owners through expanded app usage and eventually replace the globally used microchip registration method through international standard registration.

CEO Kim said, "As we create the world's first international standard for pet biometric recognition solutions, we will make it possible for all pets to live without uncomfortable chips or collars."

He expressed his ambition, saying, "Until the standard is established, we will focus on activating PeterPet so that as many owners as possible can experience the effectiveness of biometric recognition."

Founded as a UNIST student company in September 2018, Pyrico has been recognized for its business capabilities in various ways, including attracting seed investment from the Future Science and Technology Holdings and being selected as an IBK Changgong Guro 4th batch company.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.