Nine new startups emerge from Mercedes' Startup Autobahn Korea

Industry

Published: 07 Dec. 2023, 16:02 Updated: 07 Dec. 2023, 16:35

Nine new startups emerge from Mercedes' Startup Autobahn Korea

Mercedes-Benz Korea CEO Mathias Vaitl, second from left, and officials from Startup Autobahn Korea pose for a photo with participating startups during an event sharing the results of the program that was held in Seoul on Dec. 6. [MERCEDES-BENZ KOREA]

Mercedes-Benz Korea successfully concluded this year’s Startup Autobahn Korea, a 100-day project that fostered nine new startups.

The German automaker's Korean arm shared the results of its project and introduced its nine selected startups — hailing from tech sectors like AI, autonomous driving and smart factories — at an event on Thursday. Smart factory solution provider SIZL, self-driving simulation firm Morai and AI startup Deepbrain AI are among them.

The selected ventures were given chances to collaborate with large Korean firms like Mercedes-Benz Korea, Hanwha Systems and LG Electronics to develop their projects over the past 100 days. Development equipment was also provided.

The startups will have further opportunities to market their products in the future based on their results.

Launched by Mercedes-Benz Group AG in 2016, Startup Autobahn is a global open innovation platform designed to identify promising startups and establish collaborative partnerships.

Mercedes-Benz Korea has fostered a total of 40 companies through Startup Autobahn Korea as of this year. Korea is the country with the largest number of fostered startups among the seven countries in which Mercedes-Benz operates the programs, excluding Germany.

“Startup Autobahn Korea is not only cultivating the Korean startup ecosystem, but also establishing the groundwork for global exchanges, allowing innovative technologies of promising companies to shine,” said Mathias Vaitl, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Korea.

“We will continue to offer more opportunities for exchange and collaboration with startups, empowering promising Korean companies to take on more active roles on the global stage.”

BY SARAH CHEA [chea.sarah@joongang.co.kr]