Executive Vice President Jo Yong-jun, head of CERAGEM Co.'s future strategy task force, met with ChosunBiz at the company headquarters in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 10th and said, "CERAGEM Co. started with spinal thermal medical devices and has grown into a 'home healthcare' corporations with a comprehensive healthcare portfolio, and the goal is to build personalized wellness spaces based on a healthcare alliance."
CERAGEM Co. started in 1998 as a thermal medical device company and has focused on research and development for more than 20 years. As a result, it launched the massage chair "Pauze" in 2020, overtook existing leaders, and rose to No. 1 in the home healthcare industry. Under the mission of being a "corporations that looks after health," it built the "Seven Care Solution" covering spine, exercise, rest, circulation, energy, and mind, and invested more than 20 billion won annually over the past two years to expand its product lineup.
Expanding its sales channels through the experiential store "Well Cafe," CERAGEM Co. broadened its business into beauty devices and water purifiers, establishing itself as a comprehensive home healthcare corporations. It has completed development of major products, including core, exercise, recovery, and rest products, as well as water purifiers, massage chairs, the depression treatment device "Mind Fit," beauty devices, and a therapy booth to be released next year.
This expansion strategy has also translated into results at global exhibitions. CERAGEM Co. won a total of 12 Innovation Awards for nine products at CES 2026, the world's largest home appliances and information technology (IT) show. Excluding domestic large conglomerate groups such as Samsung Electronics and LG, it is the most awards by a single corporations. After debuting in 2024, it won Innovation Awards for three consecutive years, with the tally increasing from three in 2024, to six in 2025, and 12 this year.
Jo said, "The outlook is bright commensurate with the concentrated investment," adding, "In particular, we see the 'Master Series V11,' evaluated as a 'first-class seat chair' at the APEC summit, as the biggest innovation." Jo explained, "The V11 significantly advanced existing products by adding various care and muscle improvement functions, and it drew attention for enabling care even while resting."
Jo said, "Among the 12 Innovation Awards this time, the 'Master Series V11,' evaluated as a 'first-class seat chair' at the APEC summit, is the biggest innovation," adding, "It received high marks for advancing existing products and adding various care functions."
CERAGEM Co.'s growth strategy is anchored in open innovation along with its R&D capabilities.
In April, to drive growth centered on Digital Healthcare, the company created a future strategy task force and hired Executive Vice President Jo Yong-jun, former head of Plug and Play Korea, a global accelerator. Jo has experience building technology collaboration ecosystems while overseeing strategy and business development at Dell Technologies, Samsung Electronics, and Uber Korea.
The future strategy task force is strengthening open innovation based on a "healthcare alliance" with promising startups. About 24 corporations, including Digital Healthcare and medical device companies, are participating, and in Oct., it added collaboration with five AI and healthcare startups.
Jo said, "We selected partners to provide integrated health management to customers based on diagnostic items for a healthy home and healthcare expertise," adding, "Ultimately, the goal is to take a successful model built in Korea to the U.S. market together through win-win cooperation with startups."
CERAGEM Co. plans to hold the "CERAGEM AI Summit" in the first half of next year with large corporations and startups, creating new opportunities for collaboration. Next year's releases are also diverse, including the advancement of the blood circulation medical device "Celtron Circulator" unveiled this year and technology enhancements for the water purifier "CERAGEN Balance."
It also plans to set up a "Concept Lab" in Godeok-dong, Seoul, to continue its innovation content after CES. Jo said, "If CES was Beta 1.0, the Godeok Concept Lab will keep showing an evolved form."
CERAGEM Co. is also reviewing, in the long term, space businesses targeting older adults, such as silver towns and nursing homes. Jo said, "The concept of expanding into a kids' room, parents' room, and seniors' room ultimately leads to a healthy home, then to an apartment, and the next stage is a silver town," adding, "How it will take shape will become clearer within one to two years."