Samsung Electronics helps five in-house startups through 'C-Lab' initiatives

Samsung Electronics employees, who will take part in the C-Lab Inside program this year, gather at the company building in Seoul, May 18. Samsung will provide monetary and consulting support through the program to help launch their companies. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Kim Hyun-bin

Samsung Electronics said it will support five startups through the “C-Lab Inside” program that assists Samsung employees who wish to create their own startups.

C-Lab Inside was established in December 2012 to encourage in-house ventures, in addition to expanding the creative company culture and discovering innovative ideas. Through the program, the company supports and funds the development of ideas in all aspects of the business.

The five startups chosen this year are Blockbuster, Hyler, Haxby, SunnyFive and Root Sensor.

Blockbuster is the developer of a video editing application that allows users to easily apply computer graphics (CG) and 3D effects to videos.

Hyler is a company developing a program that allows analog text to be digitized and transferred to mobile devices.

Haxby is the provider of an artificial intelligence (AI) study service that records incorrect answers from workbooks and recommends problems based on the learner's ability.

SunnyFive is the developer of a window-shaped lighting device that produces artificial sunlight. RootSensor is produces an innovative sensor that records daily ultra-violet (UV) exposure.

The C-Lab Spin-off program was introduced in August 2015 and provides the selected startups with investment and business counseling to kick off their businesses.

Samsung also has a five-year grace period for employees to return to their original jobs at the company, providing an opportunity for them to launch their businesses without fear of losing their jobs.

Since the C-Lab Inside program was launched, 163 employees have established 45 startups that raised 55 billion won ($45 million) in investments and more than tripled their company value.

A company named “Breathings” was part of the C-Lab Inside program and developed internet-of-things (IoT) solution “BULO,” an at-home lung analysis device. Since April 21, the firm has received $72,000 in funding through the global cloud-funding platform Kickstarter.

Kitten Planet, which launched Brush Monster that uses augmented reality (AR) guides to show children how to brush their teeth effectively, is seeking to develop an education program for adult dental care.

Mangoslab recently unveiled “Nemonic Mini,” a portable printer that prints memos onto sticky notes without the need for toner. In February, the product was given as a special gift to the tech giant's customers who pre-ordered its latest flagship smartphone the Galaxy S20 series.

In 2018, Samsung Electronics announced plans to fund 500 startups through the program, consisting of 200 C-Lab Inside and 300 C-Lab Outside startups through 2023.

“To continuously foster startups and to create a win-win cooperation platform between Samsung and the firms, we will continue to provide support to help them with their endeavors,” a Samsung Electronics official said.