[CES 2024] Korean Startups Sweeping Las Vegas... Rising Tall from the Cradle of Innovation

20% of CES Innovation Awards Won by Korean Startups
Innovations in Security and Environment by Zcrypto, Sheco, and Others
Samsung and LG Participate by Supporting and Nurturing Startups

On the afternoon of the 10th, the Korean exhibition hall at Eureka Park in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, where CES 2024 is being held, is bustling with visitors. Photo by Jeong Dong-hoon

The world's largest home appliance and IT exhibition, 'CES 2024,' is hosting a festival of Korean startups at the startup-dedicated exhibition hall, 'Eureka Park.' The 'Eureka Park' exhibition hall at The Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, was bustling with visitors. Among the approximately 1,200 participating companies, over 500 are Korean. A total of 81 companies participated in the Seoul Pavilion, which was created by the Seoul Metropolitan Government along with 13 partner organizations including the Seoul Business Agency (SBA) and Seoul Bio Hub.

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA), and KAIST also supported and participated in Korean startups. Korean companies swept the 'Innovation Awards' presented by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), which organizes CES. Out of 310 Innovation Awards in total, Korean companies won 121, with about half of those coming from startups.

Korean Startups Dominate US CES Startup Pavilion

Zcrypto won the top innovation awards in the ▲Cybersecurity and ▲Personal Privacy categories with its blockchain online voting app for secret ballots, 'zKvoting.' This voting system allows the transmission of data (voting content) without revealing the identity of the data producer, i.e., the voter's identity and vote content.

Oh Hyun-ok, CEO of Zcrypto, said, "There is great global interest in increasing election trustworthiness and reducing costs, and blockchain infrastructure can be the answer to this." He added, "As election costs decrease, voting will become more active, and a transparent society where citizens' opinions are more actively reflected will be created."

Oh Hyun-ok, CEO of Zcrypto, is explaining the online voting app 'zKvoting,' which received the CES Innovation Award. Photo by Jeong Dong-hoon

Sheco won innovation awards with its oil spill recovery equipment 'Sheco Ark-M' in the ▲Drones & Unmanned Systems and ▲Human Security for All categories. Marketing team leader Choe Ji explained, "Sheco Ark-M is a small-scale containment robot that performs three tasks: collecting, separating, and storing oil." He added, "It automates the manual work of directly throwing and retrieving absorbents." This enhances the safety and convenience of environmental cleanup workers. It requires no assembly and can be remotely controlled, allowing non-experts to operate it.

Startups Nurtured by Samsung and LG Showcase Their Technology

There are also startups visiting CES supported by Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. Samsung Electronics operates the startup incubation program 'C-Lab' and this time created a separate C-Lab exhibition hall in Eureka Park. A total of 15 domestic companies participated, including in-house ventures grown through C-Lab as well as external startups, marking the largest scale ever.

Startups participating in the C-Lab exhibition received a total of 23 Innovation Awards, including five top innovation awards, proving their technological prowess and innovativeness. 'Beacon,' which offers an AI-based home care solution for hair loss, won the Innovation Award in the digital health category. 'N.Dot.Light,' which develops a web-based 3D design solution, won in the software and mobile app categories. 'GhostPass,' which develops bio-authentication and payment solutions based on biometric information, won an Innovation Award in the smart city category.

Chief Marketing Officer Jaecho of Sheco is explaining the oil collection equipment "Sheco Ark-M" used during marine oil spill accidents. The equipment won two CES Innovation Awards. Photo by Donghoon Jung

Lee Seon-gwan, CEO of GhostPass, explained, "We developed the world's first technology that stores biometric information for various authentications on personal smartphones instead of servers, then remotely authenticates it, eliminating security concerns." He added, "When trying to access a place, the smartphone connects remotely to a kiosk at that location for authentication without the need to take out the phone and authenticate separately." He also said, "We have obtained patents not only in Korea but also in various countries."

Domestic and international innovative startups reviewing commercialization such as technology verification (PoC) with LG Electronics are also showcasing their technology. Nine startups are exhibiting at the CES pavilion within Eureka Park, created by LG Electronics' North America Innovation Center (LG NOVA).

Among them, 'C. Light Technologies' is presenting a desktop retinal tracking device for diagnosing degenerative neurological diseases, and 'Brickify' is showcasing a platform that recycles plastic waste into building materials such as bricks, highlighting advanced industrial visions. The Korean startup 'DeepBrain AI' is introducing AI-based avatar and conversational solutions.

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