Hana fosters 15 AI startups in collaboration with SKT

Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo, second row third from right, and SK Telecom CEO Ryu Young-sang, second row fourth from right, pose with startup CEOs selected for the group's startup accelerator program, Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Hana Financial Group

By Lee Yeon-woo

Hana Financial Group announced on Wednesday that it has launched the AI Lab for Startups in partnership with SK Telecom. This initiative will support promising startups specializing in artificial intelligence.

This launch follows the strategic partnership agreement signed between the two companies last July. The agreement aims to cultivate youth-led startups through cooperation between finance and information and communication technology (ICT).

For the first round of the AI Lab startup accelerator program, 15 of the 162 startups that applied were selected. They will be provided with a spacious workspace and infrastructure located in an office in southern Seoul's Gangnam District. These startups specialize in various sectors of artificial intelligence, including generative AI, robotics, autonomous driving and natural language processing, according to Hana.

In addition, these firms will benefit from mentorship provided by Hana, SK Telecom and venture capitalists, as well as potential business collaboration opportunities with both companies.

“AI Lab for Startups is expected to become a must-visit place for Korean AI startups aiming to revolutionize the future, a space for crafting the dreams of AI unicorns,” Hana Financial Group Chairman Ham Young-joo said.

“Hana Financial Group is committed to realizing social values such as constructing a financial safety net through business cooperation with startups possessing innovative technologies and ideas. We will actively support the creation of an AI startup ecosystem utilizing the infrastructure owned by the group and SK Telecom.”