South Korean Technoparks are the networking hub nurturing local industries with its focus on developing and fostering the knowledge-oriented enterprises ─ especially small and medium-sized but highly-potential enterprises ─. Technopark (TP) model initially is designed to initially focus on corporate incubation, technical support, and business support service. It also consists of organic cooperation networks within regional innovative institutions. There are 19 regional Technoparks nationwide which are managed by the central government and operated by the municipalities.
Gangwon Technopark (GWTP), located in the Gangwon province, aims to foster enterprises in the future industry, which will lead the 4th industrial revolution and role as the growth engine of the country. Programs of the GWTP are focused on the following industries─Health food, New materials, Leisure & Recreation Information services, and Digital Healthcare.
GWTP mainly provides diverse support to enterprises ─ research & development (R&D), test evaluation, marketing, human resource training, investment facilitation and participation of domestic and international exhibitions ─ The institution especially supports export companies by utilizing overseas networks and providing consulting, which will enable the companies to connect with proper overseas buyers.
Here below are five promising companies which are supported by Gangwon Technopark.
Say farewell to chapped lips: NODE Inc.
NODE Inc, a startup established in 2018, develops multiple devices for healthcare and beauty enhancement. As engineering members of the company with biomedical engineering manage the whole process from product planning, research & development, and product manufacturing, the company is focusing on developing devices that are effective and safe.
One of the noteworthy products of NODE Inc. is a device for lip self-care using the PEMF(Pulsed electromagnetic field). The PEMF creates an invisible magnetic field, which generates beneficial effects by controlling the electromagnetic properties of the body’s cells.
A lip enhancer device, developed by NODE Inc., and named ‘Narci’, is also being sold. It provides special care for our lips with the micro PEMF, which prevents the dryness on our lips by stimulating deep into the lip skin. To expand its business into the US within the first-quarter of this year, the company is now in the process of registering ‘Narci’ through Amazon US after achieving FCC (Federal Communications Commission) certification.
“Pilling Bean,” a skincare made of coffee powder: RAEMI Co.,Ltd
The annual per capita coffee consumption rate in Korea is 1.8 kg, as of 2018. As Korea is one of the countries where coffee consumption is rapidly increasing around the world, the reality is that the annual processing of coffee by-products alone costs more than 10 billion won. However, the “Ethical Consumption Movement” that protects not only the environment but also the skin by using natural ingredient cosmetics such as soap and scrub using coffee by-products is bringing out the rising generation’s participation.
Since its launch of ‘Pilling Bean’ in 2016, exports to Guardian (Singapore’s drugstore), a famous spa in Thailand, Vietnam, China, Hong Kong and Mexico have continued to transpire based on its popularity in Japan’s leading drugstores, Don Quixote and Tokyu Hands.
Pilling Bean’s facial coffee scrub is a multi-scrub cleansing product that can exfoliate, make-up deep cleansing, moisturize, take care of pores, and improve skin tone at the same time – using coffee blending that is perfectly suited for skin and Peeling Bean’s special production method. The product features a cute coffee bean-shaped design and is a scrub that is effective for exfoliating and cleansing all at once while containing natural extracts such as licorice extract, shea butter, jojoba oil, grapefruit seed extract, and natural vitamin E. The simple packaging allows for easy use and easy travel for carrying on summer vacations.
Recently, the company says the demand has been on the rise as the coffee skincare line has been found to be effective in various skin diseases such as acne trouble and hair follicle inflammation caused by extensive mask wear.
Real-time vaccine demand information analyzing platform: Real Time Medi Check Co., Ltd.
The whole world is fighting for the acquisition of vaccines against the COVID-19. However, even in the world’s leading countries that have already secured vaccines, the status of vaccinations is not as fast as expected.
Real Time Medi Check Co., Ltd is a company that finally developed a platform that provides services that analyze, monitor, and visualize general-purpose data in medical fields that are difficult to collect data. The platform, equipped with Internet of Medical Things (IoMT), enables real-time vaccine demand tracking by collecting useful information from the code in the vaccine syringes that are discarded after vaccination.
Since it is establishing a process to analyze all sections of demand information for real-time vaccines and vaccination status, it is expected to be used as a useful analysis platform for vaccination of the COVID-19 vaccines in the near future.
Real Time Medi Check Co., Ltd explains, “Since it provides not only vaccine inventory but also demand forecasting services, we expect it to be much more efficient when vaccinating the coronavirus.” The platform provides real-time simultaneous collection of vaccine types, exhaustion locations, exhausted time, and supplies, enabling prediction of demand and supply by region.
Furthermore, the Real Time Medi Check Co., Ltd, if its platform is applied properly, is expected to contribute to preemptive management and control of disease with following expected effects: the integration of national public API data from disease management institutions such as the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, artificial intelligence analysis of vaccine demand forecasting, and visualization of control system status, ordering vaccine and optimization of distribution.
Mobile cardiac doctor will be around you: MEZOO Co., Ltd
HiCardi™, a patch type heart rhythm monitor developed by MEZOO Co., Ltd, is drawing attention in the wearable medical equipment market. Wearing this device, with a slim profile (8g within the size of a quarter), enables us to get the electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring in real-time. HiCardi™ was introduced in the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) last year, and also in the K-Start Up Pavilion in CES 2021 Online Exhibition Hall, too.
HiCardi™ has the function to classify 17 types of arrhythmia ─ASYS (Asystole), VFIB (Ventricular Fibrillation), PVC (Premature Ventricular Contraction), VTAC (Ventricular Tachycardia)─ detection in real-time, and to capture, diagnose and transmit ECG data via the mobile application or the PC. As the gadget was certified as a medical device by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in February last year, it is currently available in Korea.
MEZOO Co., Ltd now seems to grow as a leading company in the medical device market. According to the company, HiCardi™ also enables users to be informed of the normal and abnormal status of ECG signals by analyzing real-time data transmitted through mobile. It is expected to be actively used at medical sites in the future, allowing medical staff to monitor a large number of patients simultaneously in non-face-to-face ways. The company also plans to expand the application of its wearable medical device, ‘HiCardi™’, from general arrhythmia detection to prediction and management of additional diseases closely related to the heart.
At-home training suit with high-tech: Miracle Healthcare Co., Ltd
Miracle Healthcare Co., Ltd., a medical equipment company founded in 2012, is located at Wonju Venture Factory in Gangwon Techno Park. In the beginning, it had mainly produced products used in fitness centers. But it has been growing since 2016, from Internet of Things (IoT)-based home EMS (Low Frequency Exercise Device) to a professional smart healthcare company that deals with EMS therapy devices.
As the interest in healthcare and wearable devices increases, Miracle Healthcare Co., Ltd. is becoming a professional company in this field. In particular, since last year, mobility has been restricted due to COVID-19 and this has been increasing the value of “Made in Korea” by conducting its own development and mold injection at domestic plants, away from the existing production method that was OEMed through factories in Shenzhen, China.
Among the products released by Miracle Healthcare, EMS Training Suit is drawing attention. Massage devices and abdominal bands that utilize EMS low frequencies have been released lately by many companies. However, Miracle Healthcare has developed a full-body suit using EMS technology and is drawing attention through crowdfunding.
In September of last year, it achieved more than One Hundred Thousand U.S. Dollars through the crowdfunding platform, ‘Wadiz’ and has been actively engaged in online funding and marketing by posting sales of more than Fifty Thousand Dollars for seven days through ‘Kakao Makers’.
The EMS Training Suit contains 20 patches, which transfer stimuli to 20 muscle areas such as the back, hips, arms, chest, abdomen, and legs to facilitate effective results even in short-term exercise.
It is also characterized by the ability to adjust the intensity of the pulse for each muscle part. According to the company’s research data, wearing an EMS training suit has a six-hour workout effect even with 20-minute daily exercise.
In addition, when linked to smartphone apps through Bluetooth interworking, various non-boring training is possible with Miracle Suit’s programs, including boxing, jogging, pilates, and yoga. It is made of a highly flexible material and can be lightly washed, so it can maintain a comfortable suit.
Meanwhile, Miracle Healthcare Co., Ltd. is focusing on exploring the overseas markets with the goal of entering five countries (Germany, UK, France, Italy and Spain) including Amazon by 2022.
Kayla Hong
Asia Journal
