The Asan Nanum Foundation held its 13th annual Chung Ju-yung Startup Competition, highlighting 12 promising startups across early-stage and growth tracks. The competition, which saw a record-breaking 47:1 application ratio, culminated in a Demo Day event on the 7th.
Big Mobility, the company behind TruckHelper – a platform revolutionizing truck parking solutions – and Hummingbirds, creator of the workplace communication tool Baby Whale, each secured top honors and a slice of the KWR 240 million ($180,000) prize pool.
This year’s competition, themed “Adventure,” attracted unprecedented interest from Korea’s startup ecosystem. The foundation selected 30 teams – 20 in the challenge track and 10 in the growth track – providing them with six months of comprehensive support, including office space, funding, consulting, and mentoring.
Growth Track
- Big Mobility: Truck-specific parking platform “TruckHelper”
- Le Mong: Super app for F&B business growth and operations
- Inblog: B2B blog builder solution with SEO optimization
- Mile Corporation: Integrated office space management solution
- MFM: Organic agricultural materials from South Asian shrimp byproducts
- PNASEER: One-step drug delivery platform
Challenge Track
- Hummingbirdz: B2B organizational culture SaaS “Baby Whale”
- Zolv: Eco-friendly dissolving packaging
- SoulArt: Cost-effective VR tracking solution
- CareMinder: AI smart bed for nursing efficiency
- Toasterz: Smart fermentation solution “sourpot”
- SliceMind: AI software for tumor diagnostics
