[Las Vegas (USA) = AVING News] “Start-up companies and visions that will become a new driving force for Seoul City 15 years from now, or even longer, are still being conceived at this very moment. Seoul Business Agency can be said to be the best accelerator in the public sector that accelerates their growth.”
Kim Hyun-woo, CEO of the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), who met at Eureka Park at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas on the 6th (local time), expressed both responsibility and pride in their task of helping the birth and growth of domestic startups.
At CES 2023, the Seoul Business Agency will simultaneously operate the ‘Seoul Technology Pavilion’, which introduces Seoul’s future vision and innovative technologies in a cutting-edge way, and the ‘K-STARTUP’ integrated pavilion, which displays the technologies of 51 companies, demonstrating innovations from a total of 66 companies. technology was introduced to the world. In particular, 14 of the participating companies achieved the achievement of receiving CES 2023 Innovation Awards.
First, the Seoul Technology Museum was built with an area of approximately 165㎡ (50 pyeong) in the ‘North Hall’ of the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC), the main exhibition hall of CES. Under the theme of ‘Smart Transportation City, Eco-Friendly City Seoul’, Seoul’s future vision was realized with innovative technologies from leading domestic companies, and various activities were held for visitors, including stereoscopic and 3D video screenings using giant screens, technology exhibitions for partner companies, and Metaverse experience booths. It provided something to see. In addition, technology open pitching by participating companies, Smart City Seoul Forum, and investment attraction events were also held.
At the Eureka Park of the Venetian Expo, the K-STARTUP integrated hall was operated with an area of 51 m473 (143 pyeong), displaying the technologies of XNUMX companies in Seoul. collaborated with
Furthermore, an exhibition space was created in five areas: ▲Mobility ▲Bio/Healthcare ▲ESG (Social Responsibility) ▲Manufacturing ▲Data, and various events such as Global Demo Day, Startup Talk Show, and Networking Event (Meet the K-Startup) were created. An on-site program was conducted simultaneously.
As such, the Seoul Business Agency is said to have the extraordinary vision and driving force of Kim Hyun-woo, CEO of the Seoul Business Agency, behind the implementation of various programs and exhibition strategies prepared for domestic startups participating in CES 2023.
On the 6th (local time), AVING News was able to meet Kim Hyun-woo, CEO of the Seoul Business Agency, who has been leading the thorough preparations for this exhibition, at the CES 2023 site and have a meaningful conversation.
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Q. Editor-in-chief Choi Ji-hoon: I understand that you have a very busy schedule during this CES period.
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: The day after the exhibition is passing by. Yesterday, the first day, was so busy that it was difficult to come to my senses. In addition, the ‘Vision Declaration Ceremony’ held at the Seoul City Hall was successfully concluded. Thank you to the visitors who graced the occasion.
Q. Editor-in-Chief Choi Ji-hoon: Then, what are your feelings the next day?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: I felt that the atmosphere in the ‘LVCC’ exhibition hall, which can be said to be the main exhibition hall of CES 2023, and the Venetian Expo’s Eureka Park, where the K-STARTUP joint pavilion is located, are quite different. As it is a place where ‘young companies’ gather, you can feel a much more lively atmosphere in the startup hall.
Q. Editor-in-Chief Choi Ji-hoon: You are in charge of all tasks of the Seoul Business Agency (SBA). Could you briefly introduce this organization?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: First of all, to put it simply, I think it can be said to be the best ‘accelerator’ in the public sector. The Seoul Business Agency is a policy organization that spares no effort in providing all possible support for the growth and leap forward of all small and medium-sized businesses and startups located in Seoul.
For example, it provides funding for research and development (R&D), procures marketing policies and costs to help develop sales channels in domestic and overseas markets, and also acts as an investor for the company’s overall activities. Furthermore, we will make every effort to provide support, such as attracting investment from overseas investment institutions.
Q. Editor-in-Chief Choi Ji-hoon: In fact, numerous start-ups and smart city-related companies located in Seoul participated in CES 2023. What do you think about this?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: First of all, K-STARTUP is a gathering of companies whose vision, technology, and competitiveness have been strictly evaluated by the organizer, CTA. The fact that as many as 51 such companies have gathered together is a very encouraging achievement.
Additionally, the Seoul Technology Pavilion in LVCC North Hall is the first time in CES history that a joint pavilion from one city has been located at LVCC. I think this was driven by the charm of the city of Seoul. With ‘Smart Mobility’ as the theme among Seoul’s diverse lifestyles, this organization proposed a variety of products and technologies from companies that participated and supported open innovation and was able to elicit positive responses from visitors.
Q. Editor-in-chief Choi Ji-hoon: Although it is a bit early, have there been any notable achievements?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: I understand that participating companies have been arranging and conducting active business meetings at the exhibition site. Among them, I heard that a company with satellite technology is discussing two new contracts. In addition, a company called ‘Livest’ is also showing off its technology at the exhibition site and receiving a good response. I am glad that the expectations prior to the start of CES 2 are coming true.
Even large corporations cannot possess all of their own technological capabilities. This is why cooperation between large corporations and startups is actively taking place. The Seoul Business Agency plays a role in attracting open innovation and lowering the threshold for startups in the process, and one of the companies that has benefited from this is Rivest. This will remain as a very good precedent.
Q. Editor-in-Chief Jihoon Choi: The global industry is still facing negative news due to the prolonged war and pandemic. How is this atmosphere reflected in CES 2023?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: CES is also a venue where specific problems, issues, and conflicts around the world are best reflected. If it had been like previous years, Chinese visitors could have been found anywhere in the exhibition hall, but this year, the recent ongoing conflict between the United States and China has effectively blocked Chinese companies from entering the U.S. market, and as a result, the number of Chinese companies participating in CES 2023 has increased significantly. decreased significantly.
As each country’s industry and system progressed, Japan also saw a decrease in the number of participating companies, while France and Korea showed progress. I believe that this is an indicator that can determine in advance which company will lead the global industry in the future. This year’s CES will be more important than ever for domestic startups, and I hope companies will make good use of the opportunity.
Q. Editor-in-Chief Choi Ji-hoon: It seems like the CEO’s shoulders will be heavy in order to achieve the expected results. What is your attitude toward that role?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: As always, we are doing our best, but we put even greater effort into this CES. This is because I believe that something that will become a driving force for Seoul in the next 15 years or even longer is currently being gestated. In order for this to lead to fruition, we are well aware of the important role of institutions that identify industry trends ahead of time and provide incentives based on the results to foster companies.
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Q. Editor-in-Chief Jihoon Choi: How will the trends and trends identified by SBA through CES 2023 be reflected in future corporate support policies?
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: I haven’t been able to tour the entire exhibition hall, but from what I’ve seen and heard so far, it is that they are focusing and expanding on the smart mobility and healthcare fields in the global market, including the United States. In particular, many companies with advanced technology in the field were seen, and the number of visitors visiting their booths was large.
We plan to ensure that the insights gained by companies and institutions are actively shared at this event. We plan to help companies that were not able to participate in this year’s CES gain exposure to the atmosphere and future trends of the CES site indirectly, by sharing their opinions and information through panel discussions and other methods.
In addition, we are considering ways to provide support so that officials from each company can tour and experience the site in person, even if they do not necessarily set up their own booth and participate in the exhibition. This is because this can also be another way to strengthen a company’s competitiveness.
Q. Editor-in-chief Choi Ji-hoon: Among various domestic companies, many Seoul-based companies are shining at the CES 2023 site. Please leave a message to them.
A. CEO Kim Hyun-woo: Everyone must feel that the thoughts and images that people around the world have about Korea and the city of Seoul have changed significantly from before. The fact that so many Koreans are freely roaming around the exhibition site makes you wonder if CES 2023 was held in Korea, which makes you feel the changed status of Korea.
Meanwhile, it was heartwarming to see Seoul corporate officials enjoying this atmosphere, engaging in active networking, and gaining various insights. Even during this process, if you come up with an idea for how we can do better, please submit your opinion to the foundation at any time. We will do our best to meet your needs.
Meanwhile, ‘CES’, the world’s largest IT exhibition, is an exhibition where you can understand the trends of the global home appliance industry at a glance. Hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), it is held every January in Las Vegas, USA. AVING News, which has covered CES for 1 consecutive years, has reported CES news around the world every year since 17, and has been selected as the ‘BEST OF CES’, which selects the best innovative products and technologies, and the ‘BEST OF’, which selects domestic innovative companies. ‘MADE IN KOREA’ was held. In addition, CES on-site issues were vividly conveyed through ‘AVING LIVE’.
→ Go to the CES 2023 news special page
