Samsung helps local startups go global

Circulus, which sells the piBo companion robot, will set up a promotional booth at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with the help of Samsung Electronics' startup support program. / Courtesy of Samsung Electronics

By Baek Byung-yeul

Samsung Electronics will support local startups to promote their services and products at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES) as part of its corporate social responsibility activities, the tech company said Monday.

/“During the CES tech show, which will be held in Las Vegas from Jan. 7 to 10, Samsung will open a promotional booth to help five in-house startups of Samsung and four outside startups showcase their technologies and products,” the company said.

With an aim to nurture the local startup scene, the tech giant has been operating the Creative Lab (C-Lab), an in-house startup incubator program, since 2012. The company also launched another startup acceleration program called C-Lab Outside in October 2018 to support innovative startups from outside its network.

The five companies supported by the C-Lab inside program will display technologies that can offer users a convenient healthy lifestyle. SelfieType will showcase a virtual keyboard service utilizing a front-facing smartphone camera; Hyler will exhibit a smart highlighter pen that digitizes text printed on paper; Becon will display a home care product for scalp treatment and hair loss prevention; SunnySide will promote a device that can produce artificial sunlight; and Ultra V will display a sensor that monitors ultraviolet rays.

The C-Lab Outside startups include Circulus, which sells a social companion robot called piBo. With its cute-looking face, the robot is designed to be a companion for people regardless of age or gender.

Fitt, a healthcare data-based ICT service company; Vtouch, which develops a technology that controls object with gestures using cameras; and Smoothy, which provides a multi-party video call service will also join the CES show.

Samsung previously announced its bid in 2018 to nurture 500 startups in Korea during the next five years by operating the startup incubator program. Under the C-Lab spin-off system, 145 Samsung employees have made submissions to the C-Lab program and 40 startups were created.

In addition to the startup incubator program, Samsung has been actively performing corporate social responsibility programs such as Samsung Dream Class, a summer learning program for disadvantaged children; Samsung Software Academy for Youth, a software school for job seekers; and a digital literacy program, Samsung Smart School.