Super Rookie Startup 3Q3A Interview
‘COME UP’ is about rising, and nothing embodies this more than startups. These super rookies are stepping up to tackle real-world challenges and capturing our attention. At COMEUP 2024, the global startup fair held in Seoul, South Korea, we had the chance to meet and interview some of the most promising rising stars of the startup world.
“The fastest sensors to find cancer”
Foretell my health
Taejin Ahn / CEO
| Foretell my health is a South Korean startup that uses AI to screen platelets in the blood for early detection of ovarian cancer. |
Q. What sparked your business idea?
A. I have been involved in cancer research for a long time, and I believe it is more important to find and prevent cancer at an early stage than to focus solely on developing new drugs. If cancer is present in the body, I think the body must recognize it in some way. I considered which component of the body might change sufficiently to indicate the presence of cancer, and I believe I have found it.
Q. What’s the core technology behind your idea?
A. RNA in platelets can serve as a biomarker for the early detection of cancer through blood analysis. Platelets travel through cancerous masses, allowing us to capture valuable information. By separating platelets from the blood, extracting their RNA, converting the sequence data, and applying AI discrimination algorithms, we can determine whether cancer is present. Our current focus is on ovarian cancer, as it has a significantly higher cure rate when detected early.
Q. What’s your next step for growth?
A. We have a commercialization agreement with a blood testing organization for our product, a PCR test, which is a type of molecular diagnostic test that amplifies genes. We plan to sell our technology exclusively through this partnership. Additionally, we aim to expand our early diagnostic system to cover 11 other types of cancer.
“Water is for everyone“
tAB
Taejoo Won / General Manager
| tAB is a South Korean startup that manufactures sterilizers and filters for individuals suffering from waterborne diseases in developing countries. Their motto is “saving lives with light.” |
Q. What sparked your business idea?
A. In developed countries, tap water is generally safe to drink. However, in developing countries, the water supply often poses risks, and consuming it directly can lead to illnesses such as diarrhea and high fever. In these regions, people tend to drink water from plastic bottles that have been sterilized in the sun for six hours. This practice inspired the founder, CEO Hwanjong-Oh, to create a product designed to shorten the sterilization time, thereby alleviating this inconvenience.
Q. What’s the core technology behind your idea?
A. The core technology is UV sterilization. This involves corkscrew-style UV water sterilizers that fit onto the top of plastic bottles containing drinking water. The lamp emits UV-C light within the 100-280 nanometer wavelength range, which can eliminate 99.9% of bacteria, viruses, mold, and other microorganisms in just two minutes. The opening of the sterilizer is designed to fit a standard plastic bottle. Additionally, a tumbler has been developed for easy portability, allowing it to sterilize up to 2 liters of water.
Q. What’s your next step for growth?
A. We have a business in Tanzania that is in the final stages of commercialization. Additionally, we are planning to build a factory to produce our own ceramic filters for water sterilization. Our goal is to manufacture these filters locally in developing countries, which will help address water quality issues while also creating jobs.
“You’re not alone“
AiMA Beyond AI
Alex Izquierdo / CEO
| AiMA Beyond AI is a startup that creates digital humans, called AiMA. It helps alleviate the loneliness of the elderly through an artificial intelligence engine that understands and empathizes with human emotions. |
Q. What sparked your business idea?
A. We are based in Spain, where many elderly people often feel lonely at home. We wanted to create a solution that allows them to have conversations. The virtual person featured on the monitor can talk, listen, and interact like a real person. The key aspect of our concept is to ensure that they do not feel alone.
Q. What’s the core technology behind your idea?
A. We developed our own AI technology that facilitates natural conversation, reads emotions, and empathizes with real people on screen. This technology powers an engine that can empathize with 3D models without relying on AI data sets like ChatGPT. For reference, AiMA stands for Artificial Intelligence Metahuman Assistant.
Q. What’s your next step for growth?
A. Our business began in Spain, but we are planning to relocate our headquarters to South Korea to better serve the Korean market. Stay tuned for our expansion into the Korean and Asian markets!
“Cover your body in silver skin“
Aeacbio
Seungwan Kim / CTO
| Aeacbio is a South Korean startup that extracts plant-based proteins from the silver skin, the husk that surrounds coffee beans during roasting, and utilizes them in health and beauty products. |
Q. What sparked your business idea?
A. When we consider upcycling coffee beans, we often think of coffee grounds as a primary material. However, our focus is on the silver skin of the coffee bean. Unlike coffee grounds, which lose many of their active ingredients during processing due to heat and pressure, the silver skin retains these valuable components. This led us to believe that we could effectively use the silver skin to create added value.
Q. What’s the core technology behind your idea?
A. Our technology focuses on extracting silver skin. This process involves enzymatically degrading it to form a protein, which enhances its polyphenol function. In the future, we aim to develop services that will create health functional foods designed to lower blood sugar, as well as skincare cosmetics.
Q. What’s your next step for growth?
A. Our goal is to create products and services that everyone can enjoy and rely on. First, we aim to have our food certified by the Korean Food and Drug Administration. Then, we aspire to establish our own production facility to mass-produce our ingredients. After that, we will focus on expanding our sales pipeline through B2B opportunities.
“An eye for building safe structures“
Upsight
Jung Hun / Engineer of Dev-Team
| Upsight is a South Korean startup that offers smart solutions for construction process and safety management. It provides services that help prevent safety accidents and enable efficient management of construction processes through digital transformation and data analysis. |
Q. What sparked your business idea?
A. The CEO of our company, Kang-hoo Lim, initially worked in the drone education sector. He received an inquiry from a customer who mentioned, “There is a leak in the roof, and I want you to check it with a drone.” Upon inspecting the situation, we realized that diagnosing issues related to poor construction or the building itself from the outside would be ineffective. This led us to understand that we could prevent these problems by ensuring proper building practices from the outset. Consequently, we developed a smart construction process solution.
Q. What’s the core technology behind your idea?
A. The core technology utilizes AI deep learning to manage the construction process. The AI analyzes the current status of the construction site by reviewing video footage and design drawings, which are then displayed on a dashboard. This allows construction companies, building owners, and site managers to monitor the project efficiently. Additionally, the AI automatically detects any inconsistencies or changes between the original design and the actual construction. This capability is crucial for managing safety risks on-site.
Q. What’s your next step for growth?
A. Our focus is on promoting our company and increasing visibility. We recently secured seed funding and are now preparing for our Pre-A funding round. We attended COMEUP 2024 to successfully participate in the IR pitching competition and to connect with potential investors and partners.
*This article is a continuation of the following article.
