Samsung Electronics has announced its participation in VivaTech 2023, where it will showcase innovative projects developed through its C-Lab program.
VivaTech is Europe's largest startup and tech event, scheduled to take place from June 14 to 17 at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition and conference center.
As part of the exhibition, Samsung will establish a dedicated space in the "K-Startup Hall" to showcase one project from C-Lab Inside, an internal venture program for employees, and four startups fostered by C-Lab Outside, a program for external startups.
This platform will provide C-Lab projects and startups with an opportunity to gauge the global market response, strengthen their business cases, and engage with a large number of visitors at VivaTech. Additionally, they can participate in on-site investment and business cooperation consultations.
Among the featured projects is Relumino, a visual aid solution for people with low vision, which was selected as a C-Lab Inside project in 2016 and has undergone further development by Samsung Research.
Relumino comprises the Relumino app, a smartphone image processing application that leverages residual vision to improve object recognition, and Relumino Glasses, a wearable device in the form of glasses.
Samsung previously showcased Relumino at MWC 2017 and CES 2018, and at VivaTech 2023, it will introduce Relumino Glasses to the global market, highlighting enhancements to the technology's user experience, comfort, and prevention of fatigue.
Given the upcoming 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, France, there is a growing interest in apps and services for people with disabilities. Junghoon Cho, one of the Samsung researchers involved in developing Relumino, expressed that this exhibition at VivaTech will serve as an opportunity for Relumino to take another step forward.
C-Lab Outside, established in October 2018, is a startup acceleration program aimed at invigorating the startup ecosystem in Korea.
Participating startups receive various support, including office workspaces, expert mentoring from Samsung employees, digital marketing, financial consulting, potential partnerships with Samsung, and opportunities to showcase their innovations at events like CES, VivaTech, and KES (Korea Electronics Show).
Samsung has been actively expanding the domestic startup ecosystem through the C-Lab Outside programs, with the objective of revitalizing the local economy, creating high-quality jobs, and fostering balanced development in Korea.
At VivaTech 2023, Samsung will not only support the exhibition of selected companies from C-Lab Outside Seoul but also from Daegu and Gwangju, offering local startups a chance to expand into the global market. This move signifies Samsung's commitment to promoting the excellence of Korean startups and facilitating their entry into Europe.
Samsung's C-Lab aims to foster sustainable innovations and contribute to the revitalization of Korea's domestic startup ecosystem. Since its launch in December 2012, C-Lab Inside has nurtured employees' innovative ideas, fostering a corporate culture that emphasizes creativity.
Building on the success of C-Lab Inside, the expansion into C-Lab Outside in 2018 has allowed Samsung to extend its support to startups and innovations beyond its network. To date, a total of 866 startups and projects have been nurtured through C-Lab, with 475 through C-Lab Outside and 391 through C-Lab Inside.
