SEOUL, Korea – June 15, 2023 – Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced it will be showcasing innovative projects developed through its C-Lab program at VivaTech 2023.VivaTech, Europe's largest startup and tech event, will take place from June 14–17 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition and conference center.
Samsung will set up a C-Lab exhibition space in the “K-Startup Hall” [1] to display one project from C-Lab Inside, an internal venture program for employees, and four startups fostered by C-Lab Outside, a program for external startups.
C-Lab projects and startups will be able to gauge the global market response and strengthen their business case in front of a large number of visitors for VivaTech. They can also take part in investment and business cooperation consultations on site.
Global Launch of Relumino Glass Brings Significant Improvements in Usability and Convenience
Relumino, a visual aid solution for people with low vision, was selected as a C-Lab Inside project in 2016 and has since been further developed and perfected by Samsung Research.
The solution, whose name means "to give light back," consists of the Relumino app, a smartphone image processing application that utilizes the residual vision of people with low vision to improve object recognition, and Relumino Glasses, a glasses-type wearable device.
Having previously showcased its Relumino solution at MWC 2017 and CES 2018, Samsung will introduce Relumino Glasses to the global market at VivaTech 2023 and demonstrate how it enhanced the technology’s user experience to provide greater comfort and prevent fatigue.
"As the 2024 Paralympic Games will be held in Paris, France next year, there will be a lot of interest in apps and services for people with disabilities," said Junghoon Cho, one of the Samsung researchers who developed Relumino. "This exhibition will be an opportunity for Relumino to take another step forward."
Showcasing C-Lab Outside Startups in the fields of AI, the Metaverse and More
Created in October 2018, C-Lab Outside is a startup acceleration program launched to invigorate the startup ecosystem in Korea. Startups enrolled in the C-Lab Outside program are provided with office workspaces, expert mentoring from Samsung employees, digital marketing and financial consulting. Additional support includes potential partnerships with Samsung and opportunities to participate in IT exhibitions such as CES, VivaTech and KES (Korea Electronics Show).
Since the beginning of this year, Samsung has been accelerating the expansion of the domestic startup ecosystem by introducing a series of C-Lab Outside programs. Through these efforts, the program is expected to revitalize the local economy, create high-quality jobs and further contribute to the balanced development of Korea.
At VivaTech 2023, Samsung will support the exhibition of selected companies not only from C-Lab Outside Seoul, but also Daegu and Gwangju, giving local startups a chance to expand into the global market.
"Thanks to Samsung Electronics' support for VivaTech, we are one step closer to entering Europe," said Nayul Kim, CEO of CLIKA, a startup that was selected for C-Lab Outside Gwangju. "We will continue to promote the excellence of Korean startups."
The companies participating in VivaTech were selected from a pool of C-Lab Outside startups that are aiming to enter the European market. The four chosen startups include:
• NdotLight — creator of a web-based 3D design solution
• Vsion — maker of super clear PDLC film and reverse mode PDLC film
• QuantumCat — the first company to commercialize gold nanocatalyst technology
• CLIKA — provider of an all-in-one Auto-TinyAI platform that helps companies commercialize AI models quickly and reliably
Fostering 866 Startups and Projects Over the Last 10 Years
Samsung operates C-Lab to create sustainable innovations and contribute to the revitalization of Korea’s domestic startup ecosystem.
Launched in December 2012, C-Lab Inside nurtures employees’ innovative ideas while instilling a corporate culture that puts creativity at the fore. The program supports the development of ideas from all areas of business. Leveraging the success of the C-Lab Inside initiative, C-Lab Outside has been expanding Samsung’s support for new ventures to startups and innovations outside of the Samsung network since 2018.
The company has nurtured a total of 866 startups and projects to date, including 475 through C-Lab Outside and 391 through C-Lab Inside.