Ahead of the opening of the 2024 Future Innovation Tech Expo (FIX 2024), Daegu City hosted the FIX Innovation Awards ceremony on October 22 at the EXCO Grand Ballroom. The event recognized 36 companies that demonstrated the most innovative technologies and products, selected from over 210 contenders.
The awards ceremony featured attendees such as Deputy Mayor Jang-soo Jeong, representatives from global media outlets like Le Café du Geek (France) and ET Auto (India), award winners, and judges.
The FIX Innovation Awards were created to identify and support companies with outstanding innovation, technology, and business potential, laying a foundation for FIX’s sustained success. This inaugural competition focused on future mobility, ABB (AI, Big Data, Blockchain), and robotics, awarding nine companies with “Top Innovation Awards” and 27 with “Innovation Awards.”
Q. Why was the FIX Innovation Awards created, and how were the winners selected?
Jang-soo Jeong: I must first discuss FIX’s background to explain the awards. Daegu City participates in CES in Las Vegas annually. CES asked me, “Why doesn’t Korea have a comprehensive exhibition that draws global attention?” This realization inspired us to create FIX as a “Korean CES” earlier this year.
We focused on “future innovation technology” as the core theme for FIX, differentiating it from CES, an electronics expo, or MWC in Barcelona, which is known for telecommunications. The FIX Innovation Awards align with this theme, evaluating entries based on innovation, future potential, and business viability. This year, 210 Korean companies applied, and 36 were awarded. From next year, we plan to open participation to global companies, aiming for FIX to become a hub for the world’s future innovations.
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Q. What benefits will winning companies receive, and what are your plans for next year’s event?
Jang-soo Jeong: The 36 winners will receive management and ESG consulting from DGB Financial Group and funding support through Glocal Startup projects by the Korea Credit Guarantee Fund. Startups’ primary challenge is scaling despite financial constraints. We aim to nurture an ecosystem where startups can access funding and growth opportunities.
Next year, we plan to expand the awards globally and increase our outreach. Although FIX is still in its infancy, we aim to position it as synonymous with innovation.
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Q. How do you plan to promote FIX globally and emphasize its innovative image?
Jang-soo Jeong: CES and MWC have decades of history—CES for 60 years and MWC for nearly 40. FIX has just started. As the saying goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” Our immediate goal is to establish FIX as a symbol of innovation, and we hope global media will help spread this message.
In addition to media promotion, FIX will focus on being a platform for sharing cutting-edge technology. For instance, AI, a hot topic globally, began with open initiatives like Meta’s open AI models. FIX aspires to be a venue where innovations are shared for humanity’s collective growth, fostering collaboration rather than competition.
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Q. Does FIX plan to work with major sponsors like Samsung or Kia?
Jang-soo Jeong: FIX does not rely on corporate sponsorship. Companies like Samsung and Kia participate by setting up booths, while Daegu City funds the event. Companies only bear booth installation costs, and we aim to keep this model to encourage participation without added financial burdens.
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Q. How does Daegu’s infrastructure support FIX, and what are its key innovation industries?
Jang-soo Jeong: Daegu currently has an airport but needs more international routes. A new international airport will open by 2030, addressing these limitations and enabling direct flights to the Americas and Europe. This airport will also serve as a logistics hub with accompanying facilities like an air city.
On the industrial side, Daegu led Korea’s industrialization in the 1970s with textiles but has since transitioned to new growth sectors: ABB (AI, Big Data, Blockchain), robotics, non-memory semiconductors, future mobility, and advanced healthcare. At the heart of this transformation is Suseong Alpha City, a premier digital innovation hub comparable to Pangyo Techno Valley.
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Q. What’s your long-term vision for FIX?
Jang-soo Jeong: FIX is in its infancy, but as the Bible says, “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.” We aim to make FIX a global symbol of innovation and a platform for sharing technology and the future. I am confident that, with dedication and momentum, we can achieve this vision.
Jang-soo Jeong emphasized FIX’s potential to transform into a leading global innovation hub, starting with its successful debut at FIX 2024. | Photo by AVING News
FIX 2024 featured specialized exhibitions, conferences, and business programs focusing on mobility, robotics, AI, and startups. The Daegu International Future Auto & Mobility Expo 2024 at EXCO’s East Wing showcased trends in UAM, autonomous driving, batteries, components, and services. Meanwhile, the 2024 ICT Convergence Expo Korea, held in the West Wing, exhibited AI, big data, blockchain, ICT, and metaverse technologies. The 2024 Daegu Robot Expo displayed industrial robots, humanoid robots, and digital transformation solutions for the robotics industry. The “Startup Arena” was introduced to facilitate meetings between startups and experts from startup accelerators like Samsung C-Lab and Plug and Play.