[For more diverse corporate information on the startups featured in this article, please visit the Unicorn Factory big data platform 'Data Lab'.]
In the "5th K-Deep Tech Startup King of Kings," a deep tech startup pitch competition for science and technology specialized universities, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) faculty startup 'Militrack' and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) student startup 'Elva' secured the Ministry of Science and ICT Prime Minister's Award (Grand Prize).
The 5th K-Deep Tech Startup King of Kings, held at COEX on the 30th, is an event co-hosted by KAIST, UNIST, Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), 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), and organized by MoneyToday's startup media platform 'Unicorn Factory.' This marks its fifth edition. The Ministry of Science and ICT and the R&D Special Zone Promotion Foundation provided support.
The competition was established to connect technologies emerging from university research labs with startups, and to support investment attraction and commercialization for promising deep tech companies. It offers a meaningful growth opportunity for research-based startup companies, as they can have their technological excellence, market demand, and commercialization potential verified by experts in the investment industry.
Kang Ho-byung, CEO of MoneyToday, stated, "I hope this competition serves as an opportunity for excellent research-based startups to secure investments and enter the market," adding, "MoneyToday's Unicorn Factory will accompany the growth journey of the companies on stage until the very end."
Twelve student and faculty startup companies from six science and technology specialized universities advanced to the finals. In the student startup category, △Covite (KAIST), △LMNTIC Biotech (DGIST), △Elva (UNIST), △Assist (GIST), △AstroMat (POSTECH), and △EarthUs (KENTECH) participated. In the faculty startup category, △AI Robotics (DGIST), △Militrack (KAIST), △Vidal Sonic (UNIST), △Onion AI (GIST), △Aicellon (POSTECH), and △Greenepal (KENTECH) took the stage.
The competition was divided into a morning session for six student startup teams and an afternoon session for six faculty startup teams. Each team presented their business for 10 minutes in a format similar to an actual investment pitch (IR) and answered questions from the judges for 10 minutes. They were evaluated out of 100 points based on technology (30 points), marketability (20 points), commercial viability (40 points), and team capability (10 points).
Key figures in the venture investment industry participated as judges. This year, six new organizations joined, including GS Vendors, LB Investment, the R&D Special Zone Promotion Foundation, Blue Point Partners, Series Ventures, and CNTech. Participants ranged from large corporate venture capital (CVC) to deep tech-specialized venture capital (VC), public technology commercialization institutional investors, and regional/early-stage company-focused accelerators (AC), evaluating the commercialization potential and growth prospects of the technologies.
The Grand Prize in the student startup category was awarded to UNIST student startup team Elva. Elva developed a collaborative content platform where an AI agent handles everything from video planning to editing, reads feedback drawn as images on the video, and creates revised versions. Gu Ju-won, CEO of Elva, said, "I believe they highly evaluated how our multiple pivots (changes in business direction) during the startup process were well integrated into the business," adding, "We will do our best to become the 'King of Kings' in the field of manufacturing innovation."
The Grand Prize in the faculty startup category went to KAIST faculty startup team Militrack. Militrack developed a positioning device that identifies the location of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in industrial environments where visibility is difficult due to dust and smoke. The technology solves the problem of autonomous driving in manufacturing sites where it is difficult to recognize the surrounding environment using only existing cameras and LiDAR. Kim Seong-min, CEO of Militrack, stated, "I believe we received a good evaluation because our technology aligns well with the times, allowing us to generate synergy," adding, "We will work hard to pioneer domestic and international markets in the field of autonomous driving in manufacturing sites."
The Excellence Award, the R&D Special Zone Promotion Foundation Chairman's Award, was given to LMNTIC Biotech and Covite in the student startup category, and Onion AI and Greenepal in the faculty startup category. The Encouragement Award, the MoneyToday CEO Award, went to AstroMat, Assist, and EarthUs in the student startup category, and Aicellon, Vidal Sonic, and AI Robotics in the faculty startup category.
The Grand Prize winning teams in each category were awarded the Deputy Prime Minister's Award and a prize money of 3 million won. The four Excellence Award teams received the newly established R&D Special Zone Promotion Foundation Chairman's Award this year and 1 million won in prize money, while the six Encouragement Award teams received the MoneyToday CEO Award and 500,000 won in prize money, respectively.
Regardless of whether they won an award, all 12 teams that reached the finals will participate in a one-year scale-up program. They will be provided with opportunities for corporate promotion, expert consulting, networking with investors, and free participation in MoneyToday's international conference 'K-Platform.' The initiative aims to provide follow-up support to broaden contact points with investors and enhance commercialization capabilities, going beyond a simple competition and award ceremony.
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