Chungbuk Center for Creative Economy and Innovation
Chungbuk Center for Creative Economy and Innovation(Chungbuk CCEI) is backed by the government startup accelerator. The Center focuses on early-stage startups in the biotech industry.
Since being selected as the operator of the Tech Incubator Program for Startup (TIPS) program organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in November 2016, the Chungbuk Innovation Center, with the support of LG, has invested in startups in ICT, energy and manufacturing sectors as well as biotech, a strategic industry in North Chungcheong Province. The center provides various support programs for startups. Some of the notable programs are following: “Bio Benchmarking School” which is a startup education program for biotechnology startups done together with EBD Academy, “Global Partnering” program which supports startups to attend events like Bio Europe and Bio USA, “Global Business Development” program that is operated together with the local experts, and “License Support” program that helps startups with acquisition of certifications such as FDA, CE, MDR, and others.
According to the the center, on Aug. 4, 31 startups have received the investment from the center so far, and 19 have succeeded in attracting follow-up investments from external institutions like venture capital. The amount of total investment attraction exceeded 100 billion won (approximately $85 million), and the total startup values exceeded 500 billion won (approximately $425 million). Some of the companies have already received series B investment and the center is preparing to open a venture investment fund in 2021 to strengthen the investment capabilities. Chungbuk Center plans to strengthen direct startup investment capabilities by creating its own venture fund.
PU:REATH, a air-purifying mask with circulator
As the fear against the coronavirus prompts citizens to wear masks, a surgical mask has become a must-item for prevention and people also find it inconvenient to take a breath. A South Korean start-up, named soluD, developed a new type of mask equipped with a ‘circulator’.
On February 6, 2020, soluD won the grand prize at the International Invention Competition held in Thailand with its mask product. After the awards ceremony, despite the increased demand for masks due to the pandemic, soluD focused on research and development to make it more perfect and optimized for breathing through several tests of stability.
‘PU:REATH’, the innovative mask invented by the company, consists of an inner mask, an outlet, and a triple filter. The inner mask is of ergonomic design to realize comfortable fit and tight adhesion. The circulator in it allows for sufficient air volume optimized for breathing. Furthermore, three types of safety filters are available, which can be used depending on the user’s lifestyle: Super Safety filter, Usual filter, and Sporty filter. When wearing this mask, the filter will block fine dust from coming by forming an air curtain. You can feel comfortable breathing because internal air circulates without any dampness. This new type of mask “‘PU:REATH’ is expected to create a change in the mask market.
