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A total of 12 faculty-led and student-led startup teams advancing to the finals of the “2026 K-Deep-Tech Startup King of Kings,” a leading domestic deep-tech (advanced technology) startup competition, have been confirmed. They will compete for the grand prize at the Plus Stage in Hall B of COEX in Songpa-gu, Seoul, on the 30th.
The K-Deep-Tech Startup King of Kings, hosted by Unicorn Factory, MoneyToday’s specialized startup media platform, is co-hosted by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), POSTECH (formerly Pohang University of Science and Technology), and Korea National University of Science and Technology for Energy (KENTECH). It is supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation. This year’s competition was organized to support the growth of promising regional deep-tech startups in line with the government’s “Five Poles, Three Special Zones” policy and to build a regional innovation and growth ecosystem.
The finalist teams were selected by a review panel separately formed by Unicorn Factory, which comprehensively evaluated IR materials and other factors from among teams recommended through internal reviews by the startup centers of six science and technology-focused universities.
This year’s finals will showcase deep-tech technologies across various fields, ranging from a portable CT (computed tomography) scanner that can confirm in just six minutes whether all cancerous tissue has been removed during surgery, to a device that accurately identifies a robot’s location even in factories where visibility is obscured by dust or smoke, and an AI platform that handles video production, editing, and collaboration in one place.
In the faculty-led startup category, △AI Robotics (DGIST), △MillTrack (KAIST), △Vidal Sonic (UNIST), △Onion AI (GIST), △Acellon (POSTECH), and △Greenifl (KENTECH) will take the stage. In the student-led startup category, △Colbit (KAIST), △LMNT Biotech (DGIST), △Elba (UNIST), △Assist (GIST), △AstroMat (POSTECH), and ✓Earth Earth (KENTECH) will compete in the finals.
MillTrack targets situations where autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) lose visibility in industrial settings. Existing AMRs primarily use LiDAR and cameras to determine their location. As a result, their positioning performance may degrade in factories that generate dust, steam, or smoke, or outdoors under strong sunlight.
“AMR+,” developed by MillTrack, involves attaching trackers to robots and installing tags throughout the work site. It can identify locations with an error margin of 3 cm at a distance of 30 m and supports travel speeds of up to 12 m per second. The tags can be used for up to 20 years on a single battery, eliminating the need for separate wiring construction.
Vidal Sonic has developed fusion imaging technology that combines ultrasound and photoacoustics in a single device, allowing simultaneous visualization of tissue structure and microvasculature at the same location. While ultrasound reveals organ shape and boundaries, photoacoustics visualizes microvasculature by utilizing the light absorption properties of blood. Vidal Sonic applied these two technologies to an ultra-compact rotating scan probe, enabling 360-degree imaging of the interior of tubular organs. A representative from Vidal Sonic stated, “We plan to first supply imaging equipment for doctors and biomedical researchers, then expand our business scope into clinical endoscopy systems for bile and pancreatic ducts.”
Greenifl has developed technology to produce biogas using agricultural and forestry Busan materials such as rice straw and waste wood. Most domestic biogas facilities use wet methods that rely on high-moisture raw materials, such as food waste wastewater or livestock manure. Greenifl explained that its “ADOS” system applies dry anaerobic digestion technology, which inputs solid materials without a separate liquefaction process, increasing biogas yield by two to four times compared to existing wet methods.
Elba developed an AI video collaboration platform based on the video production experience accumulated from operating 15 channels with a combined subscriber base of 3 million. Within six months of launch, it secured 4,700 monthly active users (MAU), 70% of whom are overseas users. Assist has developed technology that reproduces traffic accident situations in three dimensions (3D) based on black box footage and analyzes fault ratios. AstroMat has built a solution where AI determines which metals to mix and in what quantities when desired properties are input, applying this to the development of extreme materials used in space launch vehicles and satellites. The goal is to establish a domestic supply chain for special steel for space applications, which currently has a high degree of import dependence.
The finals of the Deep-Tech King of Kings will consist of a 10-minute presentation and a 10-minute Q&A session for each team. The student-led startup league will be held in the morning, followed by the faculty-led startup league in the afternoon. The two grand prize winners from each league will receive the Deputy Prime Minister’s Award (Ministerial Award from the Ministry of Science and ICT) and a prize money of 3 million won. Four teams receiving the Excellence Award will be awarded the newly established Research and Development Special Zone Promotion Foundation Lee (President) Award and 1 million won in prize money, while six teams receiving the Encouragement Award will each receive the MoneyToday CEO’s Award and 500,000 won in prize money.
In addition, regardless of whether they win an award, all 12 finalist teams will be provided with a one-year scale-up program. Benefits include corporate promotion, expert consulting, networking with investment firms, and free participation in MoneyToday’s international conference, “K-Platform.”
[MoneyToday Startup Media Platform Unicorn Factory]
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