Georobot went through big changes before and after being selected for C-Lab Outside. Until we were selected, we vaguely thought, "We're a Start - Up, so we just need to work hard," but from the spring of 2022 we have been building the business with an understanding of on-site operations. That change was possible because we had the opportunity to run robots at a Samsung Electronics factory in Poland and listen to actual workers' feedback. (Georobot CEO Kang Tae-hun)
Pinpoint, which develops digital solutions for managing spaces, considers it important to verify how its product works in real-world environments. But because the value of commercial buildings ranges from hundreds of billions of won to the trillion-won level, it is hard to conduct pilot tests. After being selected for C-Lab Outside, we were able to test our product for one year in three buildings together with Samsung Electronics. It was an experience that became a major asset for us. (Pinpoint CEO Ahn Jin-hyuk)
Samsung Electronics held the 2025 C-Lab Start - Up demo day on the 20th at the Seoul R&D Campus in Seocho-gu, Seoul. Start - Up CEOs who took part in the event said in unison that after being selected for the C-Lab program, they received tangible benefits and support that allowed them to grow their companies. The event was prepared to share the achievements Samsung Electronics has made through C-Lab Outside and to expand opportunities for investment attraction and business cooperation. Exhibition booths prepared by 30 Start - Ups that were selected for the seventh C-Lab Outside cohort and received various support were also operated separately.
C-Lab, operated by Samsung Electronics, is regarded as a leading Start - Up incubation program in Korea. Start - Ups selected for C-Lab receive not only tangible support such as grants from Samsung Electronics but also opportunities to collaborate with various business divisions. Samsung Electronics, in turn, uses Start - Ups' ideas and technologies during collaboration to solve its own problems and advance its products and services. A representative example is its collaboration with Tuat (C-Lab Outside seventh cohort), which created an AI-based navigation app for the visually impaired, to add a feature that makes it easy to find QR codes attached to Samsung Electronics home appliances.
Tuat CEO Cho Su-won said, "The Digital Appliances (DA) Division at Samsung Electronics approached us first and suggested we find ways to improve accessibility for people who are visually impaired," adding, "When a problem occurs while using an appliance, it needs to be connected to SmartThings. To do that, you have to recognize the QR code attached to the appliance that is the size of a fingernail, which is not easy for someone who is visually impaired." Cho continued, "When our app is pointed at a Samsung Electronics refrigerator, it provides voice guidance on how to recognize the QR code," and said, "Going further, we recently also created an AI appliance manual for the visually impaired and people with low vision called 'How to use for everyone.'"
◇ Since 2012, nurturing Start - Ups… benefits provided to 959
To foster an organizational culture where employees can freely propose ideas and take on challenges, Samsung Electronics in Dec. 2012 created C-Lab Inside, an in-house venture incubation program. Three years later, it also introduced a spin-off system that allows outstanding in-house ventures to be spun off as Start - Ups.
Samsung Electronics also established C-Lab Outside in 2018, expanding outward the in-house venture incubation experience it had built up. In 2023, it expanded C-Lab Outside to regions such as Daegu, Gwangju and North Gyeongsang Province, contributing to the revitalization of the region-based Start - Up ecosystem.
Through this, Samsung Electronics has so far nurtured 959 corporations (423 in-house and 536 external). The number of companies benefiting from the C-Lab program is expected to surpass 1,000 next year. The 30 Start - Ups in the seventh C-Lab Outside cohort, which were selected through an open call in Aug. last year and began receiving full-fledged support this year, hired a total of 218 new employees during the program. They also achieved the feat of attracting a total of 34.5 billion won in investment.
Park Seung-hee, president in charge of CR at Samsung Electronics, said in a welcome address that "Samsung Electronics C-Lab has established itself as a representative 'open cooperation platform' where large corporations and Start - Ups grow together," adding, "We will continue to actively support the growth of Start - Ups through business cooperation and investment, and fulfill our responsibilities and role as partners who pioneer the future together."
Five C-Lab graduate corporations also attended the event and shared their growth stories. Wrtn Technologies executive Yoo Yeong-jun said, "With the goal of 'expanding human creativity,' six of us created Wrtn, and after discovering the potential of Generative AI we moved into C-Lab. During this period we learned market strategy and were able to build a beta product," adding, "Even after graduating from C-Lab, with Samsung's support, the Generative AI service we developed is currently competing with ChatGPT in Korea. We will run toward becoming the people's AI unicorn."
Wrtn Technologies, a graduate of the fourth C-Lab Outside cohort, became the first Generative AI platform Start - Up to secure 130 billion won in cumulative investment. It was selected as a Global ICT Future Unicorn promising company overseen by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Recently, it has entered the AI transformation (AX) business, achieving results such as shorter working hours and higher productivity.