"We had a valuable opportunity through C-Lab to work directly with Samsung Electronics and connect our technology with the needs of real-world industries."
Kim Dong-hyun, CEO of Nanoforge AI, made the remarks at Samsung Electronics' 2026 C-Lab Startup Demo Day, held at the company's Seoul R&D Campus in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on Tuesday.
The event was organized to showcase the achievements of startups nurtured by Samsung over the past year and provide opportunities to attract investment and pursue business partnerships.
At the event, six companies presented their technologies and business collaboration cases. They included Nanoforge AI, which develops AI-powered new material design and synthesis automation technology; Config Intelligence, which provides data technology for robot AI training and deployment; and PiaSpace, a multimodal AI company. Of the 30 startups in the eighth cohort of C-Lab Outside, 15 are conducting proof-of-concept projects with Samsung Electronics.
Config Intelligence was singled out as the only eighth-cohort startup to receive a direct investment from Samsung Electronics this year. Its CEO, Seo Min-joon, said the company's revenue was less than 100 million won last year, but its projected annualized revenue for this year was about 3 billion won.
PiaSpace, a startup supported in Daegu, also shared how consulting through Samsung Electronics' Win-Win Cooperation Academy helped it receive development and quality advice and refine its business strategy.
Park Nam-hyun, head of Samsung Electronics' C-Lab Outside program, said the program's biggest differentiator was its business collaboration with Samsung.
"Collaboration through technology validation is a very important part of startup growth," he said, adding that C-Lab startups had a higher survival rate than the industry average.
With the demo day, Samsung Electronics reached a milestone of nurturing 1,000 startups, comprising 434 internal venture projects and 566 external startups.
The company launched C-Lab Inside, an in-house venture program, in December 2012, followed by C-Lab Outside in 2018 to support external startups. It has since nurtured ventures in promising future sectors such as AI, robotics and digital health.
The program has delivered tangible results. The 30 companies in the seventh cohort of C-Lab Outside hired a combined 218 new employees and attracted 34.5 billion won in investment during the program.
Since 2023, Samsung has expanded the program's reach to Daegu, Gwangju and North Gyeongsang Province to help strengthen regional startup ecosystems.
Of the 30 companies in the eighth cohort this year, 12 are based outside the Seoul metropolitan area. Like their Seoul-based counterparts, they receive up to 100 million won in business support without giving up equity, along with dedicated office space, expert consulting and opportunities to participate in domestic and overseas exhibitions.
After completing the program, they continue to receive support for growth through Samsung's C-Lab Family initiative.
Park Seung-hee, president overseeing corporate relations at Samsung Electronics, said C-Lab had contributed to revitalizing the domestic startup ecosystem based on the company's philosophy of shared growth and cooperation.
"We will continue to work with the government, the National Assembly, local governments and regional innovation organizations to serve as a springboard for startups to grow further and as a partner in shaping the future together," he said.
in INDUSTRY
