Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
Samsung C-Lab drives startup growth, raising $23.5 mil.
Aidin Robotics CEO Lee Yoon-haeng speaks during Samsung Electronics' 2025 C-Lab Startup Demoday in Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
By Lee Gyu-lee
Marking an annual milestone, Samsung Electronics held its 2025 C-Lab Startup Demoday on Thursday, spotlighting startups from this year’s C-Lab Outside venture program, which secured a total of 34.5 billion won ($23.5 million) in investment during the period.
The event, held at the company’s R&D Campus in Seoul, introduced the seventh class of the program, comprising 30 startups chosen earlier this year for pioneering innovative technologies in fields ranging from artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics to digital health and eco-friendly solutions.
C-Lab began as an in-house venture program in 2012 to encourage creative business ideas from Samsung employees, and expanded in 2018 to include external startups. Since 2023, the program has widened its reach to regions such as Daegu, Gwangju and North Gyeongsang Province to stir up local startup ecosystems and help create quality jobs.
“As the era of AI unfolds, the technological paradigm is changing and the global competition for technological leadership is intensifying. It is more important than ever to foster strong startups, which form a vital pillar of the innovation ecosystem, if Korea’s economy is to take another leap forward,” Samsung Electronics President Park Seung-hee said during the event’s keynote session.
“Samsung Electronics C-Lab will continue to support startups by providing a platform for sustainable growth through collaboration and investment.”
During this year’s program, the startups hired 218 new employees and attracted billions of investment, demonstrating their business viability.
GeoGrid CEO Kim Ki-hyun, right, showcases the company's water purifying technology at its exhibition booth during 2025 C-Lab Startup Demoday in southern Seoul, Thursday. Courtesy of Samsung Electronics
Five of the startups, including climate technology company Thanks Carbon and AI-powered automated robot design solution company IDeAOcean, gave detailed presentations about their accomplishments and collaborations with Samsung in the past year during the keynote session.
Aidin Robotics shared its robotic sensor solution technology and its cooperation with Samsung to codevelop core robot parts, while GeoGrid presented an eco-friendly, facilitywide water purifying technology and its application at Samsung’s Suwon campus in Gyeonggi Province. SOFNT, which develops advanced composite materials based on nanofibers, is working to integrate its materials into Samsung products.
“Through the C-lab Outside program, we are independently developing the sensors needed for Samsung Electronics’ factories and are now preparing for their on-site implementation,” Aidin Robotics CEO Lee Yoon-haeng said.
“Also, by collaborating with Samsung Electronics’ subsidiary, Rainbow Robotics, we are expanding into supplying parts for the mainboard robots as well as applications that utilize those robots.”
Five alumni companies, including generative AI platform WRTN and 3D technology startup N.Light (NdotLight), discussed their growth stories, with WRTN highlighting its 130 billion won investment and progress in delivering productivity and AI transformation tools.
For the next year’s class, the company said it plans to focus on startups and even early-stage companies embarking on advanced AI and deep tech innovation, with a goal to strengthen business-to-business collaboration.