Samsung SDS to hold idea-searching contest
Kong Kyoung-rok, a specialist at the open innovation division at Samsung SDS, explains about this year’s sGen Global, an idea-searching competition program, during a pre-seminar session at Seoul National University, Monday. / Courtesy of Samsung SDS
By Kim Yoo-chul
Samsung SDS, the information technology services affiliate of Samsung Group, said it will introduce its idea-searching competition program called “sGen” to international markets this year through Facebook. The program has thus far been used only by domestic players.
Interested parties and people aged over 14 years can submit business ideas to
. Participants can check details about the event by clicking on
.
Registration will run from March 18 to March 29. Nationality and gender do not matter, SDS said. Competitors who reach the final round after two preliminaries will fine-tune their ideas for five weeks and the winners will be decided via presentations.
The firm will award 30 million won to the winners of both team and individual competitions. Runner-ups will receive 10 million won.
“After tough monitoring processes for business compatibility, the winners will be provided with the necessary financial, legal and mentoring support from the company. SDS will send the selected new business ideas into the sGen Eco Network Center, which will be located in Jamsil, downtown Seoul, from the latter half of this year to realize the ideas for actual businesses,” said company spokeswoman Kim Mi-ri, Monday.
Kim said the competition is aimed at helping start-ups and local venture firms that have good ideas for Samsung SDS.
The statement said 11 ideas were chosen at last year’s sGen Korea competition out of some 3,000. The team that won top prize established a business here and began providing educational services through mobile phones.
The expansion of the event is part of Samsung SDS’s efforts to expand its global business. The firm is Korea’s top provider of technology solutions.