The 2025 2nd Gwanak S-Valley Open Innovation event, designed to showcase a win-win partnership model between startups and large corporations, was successfully held on October 29 at the Gwanak Youth Center Multipurpose Hall.

Co-hosted by the Gwanak-gu Office and HL Holdings, the event was established to discover innovative technologies from promising startups and create practical collaboration opportunities with major corporations and private venture capital firms.

At the Demo Day, the highlight of the event, eight startups that passed a rigorous preliminary review—PosCore, MarinaChain, Cycloid, 3rd Works, Athlon, Withus Square, Gotgan Logistics, and Planningo—took the stage to present their core technologies and business models during an intense IR pitching session.

The evaluation was conducted by an expert panel of judges comprising HL Holdings and five private investment firms, including CNT Tech, Seoul National University Technology Holdings, Mobydick Ventures, Hanbit Investment, and ENSL Partners, assessing technology capability, marketability, and growth potential.

Following the evaluations, MarinaChain won the Grand Prize for its AI-powered smart logistics solution supporting digital transformation and carbon compliance. Cycloid took the First Runner-up Prize for its electric two-wheeler subscription platform Bardrim, while PosCore and Planningo received Excellence Awards for their magnetic powder materials solution using steel by-products and AI-driven 3D SaaS solution, respectively. A total of 20 million KRW in prize money, with 5 million KRW allocated to each recipient, was awarded to the four winning companies.

This open innovation program holds significant meaning as it leads to tangible business collaborations with a major enterprise rather than ending as a simple award ceremony. As co-host, HL Holdings plans to hold one-on-one meetups with the winning startups in November to discuss concrete collaboration plans and follow-up commercialization in advanced mobility, logistics, and IT service sectors.

An official from HL Holdings stated that innovation lies at the core of corporate competitiveness, adding that the company will use this event as a catalyst to further expand a sustainable cooperative ecosystem with promising startups.

An official from the Gwanak-gu Office also commented that Gwanak S-Valley is firmly establishing itself as an innovation platform where the region, enterprises, and startups grow together, noting that the office will continue to strengthen public-private investment linkages and actively expand the local innovation ecosystem.

Marking its second edition this year, the Gwanak S-Valley Open Innovation concluded successfully, demonstrating its potential as a mutually beneficial platform that provides a stepping stone for startups and a driving force of innovation for enterprise leaders.

Source : https://www.mt.co.kr/industry/2025/11/10/2025110718324912695