5th Venture & Startup Patent Awards
SMD Solution, Founded by a Seoul National University School of Dentistry Professor, Wins the Grand Prize
MedInTech Receives the Excellence Award
Autonomous Endoscopy Also Earns High Praise
The Korea Venture & Startup Patent Awards Ceremony was held on the 10th at the Maeil Business Media Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Award recipients pose for a commemorative photo with Kim Yong-seon, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office; Lee Kwang-hyung, Chair of the National Intellectual Property Committee; Jang Seung-jun, Vice Chairman of Maeil Business Newspaper; Kim Du-gyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association; and Yoo Jeong-hee, Director at the Korea Venture Business Association (back row, third from left), along with Kim Hyun-jung, CEO of SMD Solution, the Grand Prize winner (front row, fourth from left).
Reporter: Kim Ho-young
For bedridden patients or individuals with severe disabilities who cannot support their own bodies, toothbrushing can be a life-critical task. If rinse water enters the airway, it can cause aspiration pneumonia—an inflammatory condition of the lungs that may be fatal. A startup that addressed this problem with an innovative oral cleaning technology that sprays water while simultaneously applying powerful suction has been recognized this year for the nation’s top patented technology.
Maeil Business Newspaper and the Korean Patent Attorneys Association held the 5th Korea Venture & Startup Patent Awards ceremony on the 10th at the Maeil Business Media Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, awarding the Grand Prize (Chairman’s Award of the National Intellectual Property Committee) to SMD Solution.
Now in its fifth year, the awards aim to discover venture companies and startups with outstanding patents and support IP-driven growth. At the ceremony, a total of eight companies and two patent law firms received awards for building strong technological barriers in future growth sectors such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), and semiconductors, including SMD Solution.
The core patent of Grand Prize winner SMD Solution is an automatic oral irrigator. Patients with swallowing disorders often find conventional oral irrigators difficult to use. SMD Solution solved this problem by integrating the channel that delivers cleaning water and the suction channel that collects contaminated water into a single handle. Kim Hyun-jung, CEO and a former professor at Seoul National University School of Dentistry who founded the company in 2016, said, “We started from a simple idea—to solve a basic oral health problem that anyone can face in daily life,” adding, “This award recognizes the efforts and potential we have built over the past seven years.”
The Excellence Award (Commissioner’s Award of the Korean Intellectual Property Office) was presented to MedInTech for its patented technology titled “Method for Controlling an Endoscopic Device.” Conventional motorized endoscopes require physicians to manually operate motors one by one using a joystick while monitoring the current state, demanding a high level of skill. MedInTech’s technology allows the device to automatically control its motors and move on its own once the target state the endoscope should reach is entered.
Lee Chi-won, CEO of MedInTech, stated, “We are delighted that the innovation and future value of the world’s first AI-based motorized flexible endoscopy system we developed have been recognized,” adding, “We will continue to focus on developing technologies that provide better medical experiences for both patients and healthcare professionals, and work to establish a new global standard in the endoscopy market.”
Six companies received the Excellence Award. In particular, several companies with previous awards drew attention by being honored again. Neuracle Genetics, which developed a new genetic fragment that improves the efficiency of gene therapies, and Sapien Semiconductor, which holds micro-LED driver chip technology for next-generation displays, received Excellence Awards once more following their wins in past competitions. They were praised for maintaining distinctive patent competitiveness through consistent R&D despite rapidly changing technology trends.
Other Excellence Award recipients included Inocras Korea, which decodes entire genomes to precisely diagnose cancer and rare diseases; WeFlow, which non-contactly diagnoses motor conditions during drone landings; ActionPower, which automatically corrects AI dictation errors based on context; and Willog, a smart logistics company that manages cargo conditions using QR codes.
The event was attended by around 50 guests, including Lee Kwang-hyung, Chair of the National Intellectual Property Committee; Kim Yong-seon, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office; Kim Won-yi, National Assembly member of the Democratic Party of Korea; Jang Seung-jun, Vice Chairman of Maeil Business Media; Kim Du-gyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association; as well as award recipients.
Chair Lee Kwang-hyung emphasized, “Intellectual property, including patents, is the most powerful engine and weapon that enables venture companies and startups to navigate rough waters and leap into global markets,” adding, “The committee will spare no effort in supporting Korea’s venture and startup ecosystem to further elevate the nation’s status as a global IP powerhouse.”
Commissioner Kim Yong-seon stated, “By actively leveraging AI and intellectual property data, we will implement policies that support everything from macro-level industrial policy and technology strategy formulation to R&D assistance, helping secure core technologies and prevent overseas technology leakage,” adding, “The Korean Intellectual Property Office will work with all stakeholders to build policies that enable shared growth.”
Jang Seung-jun, Vice Chairman of Maeil Business Media, remarked, “As Maeil Business Newspaper approaches its 60th anniversary next year, we are reaffirming our mission as a media organization that has chronicled Korea’s economic growth and technological advancement,” adding, “We will continue to be a steadfast partner that stands at the forefront in supporting the challenges of venture companies and startups.”
Kim Du-gyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, pledged, “We will continue to strongly support Korean companies so that their technologies can become powerful weapons in the form of patents and compete successfully in the global market.”
The event was jointly hosted by Maeil Business Newspaper and the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, and supported by the National Intellectual Property Committee, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and the Korea Venture Business Association.
[Reported by Lee Sae-bom / Ko Jae-won]
View the original article
매일경제 : https://www.mk.co.kr/news/it/11490016
5th Venture & Startup Patent Awards
SMD Solution, Founded by a Seoul National University School of Dentistry Professor, Wins the Grand Prize
MedInTech Receives the Excellence Award
Autonomous Endoscopy Also Earns High Praise
The Korea Venture & Startup Patent Awards Ceremony was held on the 10th at the Maeil Business Media Center in Jung-gu, Seoul. Award recipients pose for a commemorative photo with Kim Yong-seon, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office; Lee Kwang-hyung, Chair of the National Intellectual Property Committee; Jang Seung-jun, Vice Chairman of Maeil Business Newspaper; Kim Du-gyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association; and Yoo Jeong-hee, Director at the Korea Venture Business Association (back row, third from left), along with Kim Hyun-jung, CEO of SMD Solution, the Grand Prize winner (front row, fourth from left).
Reporter: Kim Ho-young
For bedridden patients or individuals with severe disabilities who cannot support their own bodies, toothbrushing can be a life-critical task. If rinse water enters the airway, it can cause aspiration pneumonia—an inflammatory condition of the lungs that may be fatal. A startup that addressed this problem with an innovative oral cleaning technology that sprays water while simultaneously applying powerful suction has been recognized this year for the nation’s top patented technology.
Maeil Business Newspaper and the Korean Patent Attorneys Association held the 5th Korea Venture & Startup Patent Awards ceremony on the 10th at the Maeil Business Media Center in Jung-gu, Seoul, awarding the Grand Prize (Chairman’s Award of the National Intellectual Property Committee) to SMD Solution.
Now in its fifth year, the awards aim to discover venture companies and startups with outstanding patents and support IP-driven growth. At the ceremony, a total of eight companies and two patent law firms received awards for building strong technological barriers in future growth sectors such as biotechnology, artificial intelligence (AI), and semiconductors, including SMD Solution.
The core patent of Grand Prize winner SMD Solution is an automatic oral irrigator. Patients with swallowing disorders often find conventional oral irrigators difficult to use. SMD Solution solved this problem by integrating the channel that delivers cleaning water and the suction channel that collects contaminated water into a single handle. Kim Hyun-jung, CEO and a former professor at Seoul National University School of Dentistry who founded the company in 2016, said, “We started from a simple idea—to solve a basic oral health problem that anyone can face in daily life,” adding, “This award recognizes the efforts and potential we have built over the past seven years.”
The Excellence Award (Commissioner’s Award of the Korean Intellectual Property Office) was presented to MedInTech for its patented technology titled “Method for Controlling an Endoscopic Device.” Conventional motorized endoscopes require physicians to manually operate motors one by one using a joystick while monitoring the current state, demanding a high level of skill. MedInTech’s technology allows the device to automatically control its motors and move on its own once the target state the endoscope should reach is entered.
Lee Chi-won, CEO of MedInTech, stated, “We are delighted that the innovation and future value of the world’s first AI-based motorized flexible endoscopy system we developed have been recognized,” adding, “We will continue to focus on developing technologies that provide better medical experiences for both patients and healthcare professionals, and work to establish a new global standard in the endoscopy market.”
Six companies received the Excellence Award. In particular, several companies with previous awards drew attention by being honored again. Neuracle Genetics, which developed a new genetic fragment that improves the efficiency of gene therapies, and Sapien Semiconductor, which holds micro-LED driver chip technology for next-generation displays, received Excellence Awards once more following their wins in past competitions. They were praised for maintaining distinctive patent competitiveness through consistent R&D despite rapidly changing technology trends.
Other Excellence Award recipients included Inocras Korea, which decodes entire genomes to precisely diagnose cancer and rare diseases; WeFlow, which non-contactly diagnoses motor conditions during drone landings; ActionPower, which automatically corrects AI dictation errors based on context; and Willog, a smart logistics company that manages cargo conditions using QR codes.
The event was attended by around 50 guests, including Lee Kwang-hyung, Chair of the National Intellectual Property Committee; Kim Yong-seon, Commissioner of the Korean Intellectual Property Office; Kim Won-yi, National Assembly member of the Democratic Party of Korea; Jang Seung-jun, Vice Chairman of Maeil Business Media; Kim Du-gyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association; as well as award recipients.
Chair Lee Kwang-hyung emphasized, “Intellectual property, including patents, is the most powerful engine and weapon that enables venture companies and startups to navigate rough waters and leap into global markets,” adding, “The committee will spare no effort in supporting Korea’s venture and startup ecosystem to further elevate the nation’s status as a global IP powerhouse.”
Commissioner Kim Yong-seon stated, “By actively leveraging AI and intellectual property data, we will implement policies that support everything from macro-level industrial policy and technology strategy formulation to R&D assistance, helping secure core technologies and prevent overseas technology leakage,” adding, “The Korean Intellectual Property Office will work with all stakeholders to build policies that enable shared growth.”
Jang Seung-jun, Vice Chairman of Maeil Business Media, remarked, “As Maeil Business Newspaper approaches its 60th anniversary next year, we are reaffirming our mission as a media organization that has chronicled Korea’s economic growth and technological advancement,” adding, “We will continue to be a steadfast partner that stands at the forefront in supporting the challenges of venture companies and startups.”
Kim Du-gyu, President of the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, pledged, “We will continue to strongly support Korean companies so that their technologies can become powerful weapons in the form of patents and compete successfully in the global market.”
The event was jointly hosted by Maeil Business Newspaper and the Korean Patent Attorneys Association, and supported by the National Intellectual Property Committee, the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and the Korea Venture Business Association.
[Reported by Lee Sae-bom / Ko Jae-won]
View the original article
매일경제 : https://www.mk.co.kr/news/it/11490016