The Gyeongbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center announced that it held a designation certificate award ceremony at its headquarters on August 6th, attended by representatives of the 10 companies selected for the '2025 Gyeongsangbuk-do Preliminary Unicorn Growth Support Project.'
The Gyeongsangbuk-do Prospective Unicorn Growth Support Project, part of the province's "GB-Unicorn Enterprise Development Project," was designed to maximize the corporate value of local startups with exceptional technological prowess and growth potential and foster their growth into unicorns. The project operates in partnership with major corporations such as Samsung Electronics and POSCO, ensuring sustained growth.
This selection process involved three tracks: direct discovery by the Center, recommendations from POSCO Holdings, and recommendations from Samsung Electronics. A total of ten companies were selected. By sector, the selection consisted of five companies in the materials, components, and equipment sector, two in the AI sector, one in the platform sector, and two in the bio sector.
The materials, components, and equipment sector includes BS1 Co., Ltd., which develops secondary battery cathode material sintering containers; Cobra Co., Ltd., which possesses drone detection radar based on micro-Doppler signal analysis; Hibo Co., Ltd., which provides Complete Solid-State 3D LiDAR products; Ripla Co., Ltd., which developed a facility to improve the purity of recycled plastics using microorganisms; and Mediconnect Co., Ltd., which developed an improved product for an intravitreal drug delivery device for the treatment of retinal diseases.
In the AI field, two companies were selected: Amber Road Co., Ltd., which built a vertical AI platform for real-time optimization of manufacturing processes, and Impactive AI Co., Ltd., which possesses an advanced machine learning/deep learning model specialized in demand forecasting.
The platform sector includes Signal Care Co., Ltd., an agricultural corporation that operates an eco-friendly, high-protein functional raw material manufacturing platform through precision fermentation of insects and organic byproducts.
In the bio field, two companies were selected: Spebio Co., Ltd., which is commercializing plant biomaterials based on 3D tissue culture platform technology, and Thyssen Biopharm Co., Ltd., which is developing cell-cultured meat and biomaterials.
The selected companies are expected to grow into potential unicorn companies through the Gyeongbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center's Scale-Up IR, consulting with experts from large corporations, linkages with R&D institutions, priority recommendations for loans from Gyeongbuk Province's venture business development fund (up to 300 million won, interest rate of 1%), commercialization funding support (25 million won), and corporate valuation.
Yoo Ju-hyeon, CEO of the Gyeongbuk Creative Economy Innovation Center, said, “This is the third year of the Pre-Unicorn Growth Support Project, and we have supported 29 companies so far,” and added, “We will continue to foster and support the companies selected this year so that they can grow into unicorn companies representing the region.”
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