The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday named three Korean startups — DolbomDream, Terracle and Tround — as this year’s Innovators of the Year, recognizing their breakthroughs in health care, recycling and immersive audio.
The awards ceremony, held in Seoul, marked the 11th edition of the KGCCI Innovation Awards, an annual event that highlights transformative technologies enhancing Korea-Germany business cooperation.
This year’s program is supported by Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. It is also part of German Innovation Days, hosted by the German Embassy in Seoul and Herald Media Group.
“Korea and Germany have long been close partners built on strong cooperation in manufacturing and technological innovation,” said Minister of SMEs and Startups Han Sung-sook in a video message.
“The Innovation Awards provide a meaningful platform for companies from both countries to create new value through creativity and a spirit of challenge. The Korean government will continue to support innovative enterprises so they can grow and compete on the global stage.”
Five finalists presented live pitches to a Korean and German jury and audience, judged on innovation, market impact, social value and diversity.
“Innovation drives progress across our economies and societies,” said Marie Antonia von Schonburg, KGCCI president and CEO. “This year’s finalists show what’s possible when creativity and collaboration come together. From AI to health care, mobility and sustainable materials, their work demonstrates how new ideas can make a lasting difference in the way we live and work.”
DolbomDream took the top prize with Carearly, a noninvasive cardiopulmonary monitoring system using air-pressure sensors and artificial intelligence to detect risks like arrhythmia or sleep apnea.
“It is a great honor to be recognized among the top innovators driving the future of health care,” said CEO Kim Ji-hyun. “We will continue to advance Carearly’s technology to ensure that every senior can live safely and independently through noninvasive, intelligent health monitoring.”
Terracle won second place for Terra-X, a low-temperature plastic recycling process that achieves 99.9 percent material purity while cutting carbon emissions by more than 50 percent.
Tround claimed third with the SoundXR Chair, which delivers spatial sound and synchronized haptic feedback, enhancing user immersion by 16.78 percent in certified tests.
All three winners will receive one-year access to KGCCI’s German office, complimentary membership for nonmembers and expanded networking and investor opportunities in the European market.
yeeun@heraldcorp.com
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