The CES Innovation Award Ignites Even More Ambition
Date
2025-01-31 14:48
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101
Growing Companies in Seoul's Campus Town Project
Professors and Students Join Forces for On-Campus Startups
Expert Mentoring in Space, Legal, and Tax Matters
Yang Seung-tae (left), Vice CEO of Hurotics, and Kim Joong-ho, CEO of Idea Ocean, Awarded the CES Innovation Award in 2024.
“The CES Innovation Award confirmed that the product we created is truly an innovative idea with the potential to make a real impact.” (Yang Seung-tae, Vice CEO of Hurotics)
“Thanks to the CES Innovation Award, the level of interest in our company has changed. We've met many people, gained new ideas, and seen potential.” (Kim Joong-ho, CEO of Idea Ocean)
The young passion from campuses, supported by local governments such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is now shining on the global stage. The campus-based companies that won the Innovation Award at the world’s largest IT expo, CES, held in the U.S. this January, are now dreaming of even bigger leaps.
Kim Joong-ho (30, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University), who received the Innovation Award just four months after founding his official company, humbly credited his success to good luck, while also expressing his confidence in the company’s technology.
Idea Ocean is developing technology that enables machines and robots to be designed and automated by artificial intelligence (AI). By creating a stem-like mechanism, it generates meaningful big data directly, claiming that its technology in moving machine and robot design is world-class.
Yang Seung-tae (33, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Chung-Ang University), the vice CEO of Hurotics, is also confident in leading the wearable robot field with differentiated robot designs and modular products that offer segmented medical devices. He stated, “Seeing companies that were ahead of us at CES gave us the confidence that we can do even better.”
In addition to their belief in the technology, realistic support played a significant role. It’s not enough to run a business with passion and ideas alone.
Through the Seoul Campus Town project, the companies were able to solve the critical issue of office space. Not only were they freed from worries about high rent, but their office’s location near public transportation also helped in attracting talent. Furthermore, legal, tax, and labor issues were promptly addressed with expert mentoring. As a result, Hurotics now employs 14 people, and Idea Ocean has expanded to 9 employees.
Yang Seung-tae stated, “We received free consultations in areas like investment attraction and changes to our articles of incorporation, which helped us a lot since we had no prior knowledge of managing a company.” Kim Joong-ho, who successfully monetized by securing multiple contracts with domestic large corporations, emphasized, “We are constantly striving to become a leading startup.”
They also stressed the need for more detailed support. Hurotics, for instance, values product feedback and hopes to have more opportunities to provide their products to those who truly need them in order to gain real-world experience.
Idea Ocean, which has experienced rapid growth, emphasized the need for specialized space support for companies with more than 10 employees, which are no longer considered early-stage startups. Kim Joong-ho hopes that “having a nurturing space system tailored to each stage of startup growth, rather than just by years of operation, would be a huge help.”
Professors and Students Join Forces for On-Campus Startups
Expert Mentoring in Space, Legal, and Tax Matters
Yang Seung-tae (left), Vice CEO of Hurotics, and Kim Joong-ho, CEO of Idea Ocean, Awarded the CES Innovation Award in 2024.
“The CES Innovation Award confirmed that the product we created is truly an innovative idea with the potential to make a real impact.” (Yang Seung-tae, Vice CEO of Hurotics)
“Thanks to the CES Innovation Award, the level of interest in our company has changed. We've met many people, gained new ideas, and seen potential.” (Kim Joong-ho, CEO of Idea Ocean)
The young passion from campuses, supported by local governments such as the Seoul Metropolitan Government, is now shining on the global stage. The campus-based companies that won the Innovation Award at the world’s largest IT expo, CES, held in the U.S. this January, are now dreaming of even bigger leaps.
Kim Joong-ho (30, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Seoul National University), who received the Innovation Award just four months after founding his official company, humbly credited his success to good luck, while also expressing his confidence in the company’s technology.
Idea Ocean is developing technology that enables machines and robots to be designed and automated by artificial intelligence (AI). By creating a stem-like mechanism, it generates meaningful big data directly, claiming that its technology in moving machine and robot design is world-class.
Yang Seung-tae (33, Ph.D. candidate in Mechanical Engineering at Chung-Ang University), the vice CEO of Hurotics, is also confident in leading the wearable robot field with differentiated robot designs and modular products that offer segmented medical devices. He stated, “Seeing companies that were ahead of us at CES gave us the confidence that we can do even better.”
In addition to their belief in the technology, realistic support played a significant role. It’s not enough to run a business with passion and ideas alone.
Through the Seoul Campus Town project, the companies were able to solve the critical issue of office space. Not only were they freed from worries about high rent, but their office’s location near public transportation also helped in attracting talent. Furthermore, legal, tax, and labor issues were promptly addressed with expert mentoring. As a result, Hurotics now employs 14 people, and Idea Ocean has expanded to 9 employees.
Yang Seung-tae stated, “We received free consultations in areas like investment attraction and changes to our articles of incorporation, which helped us a lot since we had no prior knowledge of managing a company.” Kim Joong-ho, who successfully monetized by securing multiple contracts with domestic large corporations, emphasized, “We are constantly striving to become a leading startup.”
They also stressed the need for more detailed support. Hurotics, for instance, values product feedback and hopes to have more opportunities to provide their products to those who truly need them in order to gain real-world experience.
Idea Ocean, which has experienced rapid growth, emphasized the need for specialized space support for companies with more than 10 employees, which are no longer considered early-stage startups. Kim Joong-ho hopes that “having a nurturing space system tailored to each stage of startup growth, rather than just by years of operation, would be a huge help.”