3Q3A: Super Rookie Startup Interview
| At NextRise, some technologies will change our future, and people who are passionate about them. We took note of the startups that exuded their presence with every fiber of their being and asked just three questions. Nine startups with the most interesting, engaging, and fun imaginations. Nine people. Nine stories. |
“Drones shed new light”
PABLO AIR / Daniel Kim CSO
Q. Please introduce your startup briefly.
A. We utilize drones in four key business areas: drone delivery, UAM traffic management, drone art shows, and swarm drones for defense. We aim to establish a system that can seamlessly integrate the future air mobility industry.
Q. What are the core technologies and their strengths?
A. Our technology’s strength in operating drones lies in communication. If communication is lost, the drone may crash or fly to the wrong place. Therefore, we have developed our own system with our own communication multiplexing technology. PABLO AIR offers the only fireworks drone product in South Korea. The principle of our fireworks is that the drone measures the signal from the ignition device connected to wireless Wi-Fi and fires the fireworks. In the case of swarming drones, it’s crucial for each drone to maintain a certain distance. Therefore, PABLO AIR has attempted to overcome errors through the RTK (Real Time Kinematic) system, which enables more accurate control of the drone’s position compared to the existing GPS system. Additionally, our communication technology can be beneficial for the development of UTM (Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management), which controls drone traffic.
Q. What are the plans following NextRise 2024?
A. We are thrilled to have received the Next Innovator Award at NextRise 2024, which recognizes the innovation and growth potential of our technology. In addition, we recently set a new Guinness World Record with 1,068 fireworks drone shows. This summer, the International Drone Light Show will be held in Nha Trang, Vietnam, and we are eager to represent our country and showcase our technology.
“Press the play button to release the scent”
Aromajoin / Dongwook Kim CEO
Q. Please introduce your startup briefly.
A. Do you know about those “scent devices” that transmit information to create a specific fragrance? We are based in Kyoto, Japan. With our digital scent control system, we aim to help people experience pleasant smells in their daily lives and shop comfortably in stores. For example, if you’re watching a baking video on YouTube, our technology can make you smell the aroma of bread instantly.
Q. What are the core technologies and their strengths?
A. With our technology, you can smell scents while watching videos. Our olfactory display can reproduce odors like a monitor or speaker. We use a solid-state device to load the scent into the airflow, so when the airflow stops, the smell stops. People can smell the scent in 0.1 seconds at the shortest distance and switch to another scent quickly. Unlike typical smell tech startups, we don’t add fragrances to liquids and vaporize them, which can leave behind odors that soak into people’s clothes and hair. In terms of technology that can instantaneously control smells using devices like ours, Aromajoin is uniquely leading the world. We hold 33 patents related to the technology, with 12 patents registered internationally in seven countries, including Korea, China, and the United States.
Q. What are the plans following NextRise 2024?
A. We have completed the development of a wearable neckband that lets users experience scents using extended reality (XR) technology. This product is scheduled to be released next year and we are considering a price point of around $350. To introduce our prototype, we plan to participate in CEATEC, a major electronics fair in Japan scheduled for October this year. We are eager for people to experience the unique scents we offer.
“Let AI make introductions for you, Say hello!”
Splab / Min Seon CEO
Q. Please introduce your startup briefly.
A. If you’re attending NextRise 2024, you’ll want to connect with tens of thousands of startup founders, venture capitalists, and other industry professionals. That’s where the networking platform ‘Umoh’ comes in. We’re revolutionizing startup networking. At this year’s NextRise event alone, over 3,000 people made new connections through Umoh.
Q. What are the core technologies and their strengths?
A. It offers a solution for managing community social media pages along with online and offline events. The platform creates a dedicated page for organizers and provides a seamless networking experience for participants. Users appreciate the ability to continue connecting and scheduling meetings even after the event has ended. Additionally, users can utilize the “AI Profile” feature which allows them to select relevant tags like #tech #startup #content, and the AI will generate a bio based on those tags. The in-house AI model developed by Splap has been optimized for human networking and features an LLM. At the same time, the platform is accumulating profile data from numerous participants to enhance the dataset. Ultimately, it is a platform where event organizers and attendees can foster meaningful relationships. This is Umoh.
Q. What are the plans following NextRise 2024?
A. Starting in the second half of this year, we will actively pursue our Go To Market (GTM) strategy in the US. We have already been supplying Umoh to large-scale events and conferences in Korea, identifying market needs and increasing our market share. Additionally, as Splap has received global investment from Silicon Valley and San Francisco, we will also focus on small and medium-sized events in the US.
“Taste meatballs made with cow cells!”
SeaWith / Joonho Keum CEO
Q. Please introduce your startup briefly.
A. We are ‘SeaWith’, with the sea. It’s also a homophone for ‘Seaweed’, which means algae. SeaWith is a company that started with the idea of producing cultured meat based on algae. The co-founders are all from Busan, a maritime city in South Korea. The company is currently focused on developing alternative meats by culturing not only algae, but also bovine cells from Korea and the United States.
Q. What are the core technologies and their strengths?
A. Our technology allows us to create the unique taste of meat using cultured cells without the need to slaughter animals. To make artificial meat, we extract muscle cells from beef tissue, place the cells in a scaffold for cell production, and then store them in a “bioreactor,” which is a piece of equipment used for muscle cell differentiation and can be kept warm in a sterile environment. After two to three weeks, the cultured meat is ready. We produce cultured meat by culturing cells without any artificial manipulation, allowing the cells to reproduce their flavor and nutrients in a safe and clean environment outside of the animal’s body. Another great advantage is that this method allows for mass production of meat at a low cost simply by extracting cells.
Q. What are the plans following NextRise 2024?
A. I believe scaling up is our top priority. Currently, we are conducting a new food tech experiment in Uisung-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. This location has been designated as a region free from cell culture food regulations. Our plan is to introduce our alternative meat products here. Simultaneously, we aim to expand actively overseas with a focus on the United States and Singapore. By placing our equipment in a single shipping container, we can raise about 4,000 cows. We are developing a globalization strategy to implement this business model abroad.
| *3Q3A is a continuation of Part 2. Click “Next Part” to continue. |
