T-Hub, which leads India’s pioneering innovation ecosystem, and Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME), an initiative of the Ministry of SMEs and Startup of the Government of South Korea, today announced that they had shortlisted 10 early-stage South Korean startups for the Startup Accelerator 2020, a market access program. The startups will benefit from new business opportunities, market understanding, access to customers and a deeper understanding of the Indian market. T-Hub’s partnership with the South Korean Government will create ample opportunities for the startups to scale up in the Indian market.
The startups were shortlisted after a rigorous evaluation process by subject matter experts from T-Hub and KOSME. T-Hub will execute the acceleration program virtually in view of the pandemic, and the startups will undergo intensive training for two months. Startups accepted into the Startup Accelerator program will also receive guidance from T-Hub via a rich curriculum of activities, specifically designed to help the startups explore business opportunities in the Indian market. In addition, the startups will undergo various online workshops/webinars, mentor hours, founders’ talk, interventions and sessions with subject matter experts and mentors of T-Hub.
Ravi Narayan, CEO of T-Hub and Chief Innovation Officer, Telangana, said, “The need of the hour for the startups across the globe is to swiftly adapt to the new changes and seize the unique opportunities presented by the pandemic. We not only support these deserving startups but also ensure that all the stakeholders benefit from the program. Startup Accelerator program has been designed specifically for South Korean startups to help them establish a firm foothold in the Indian market. T-Hub will be acting as their partners to support and guide them. T-Hub’s collaboration with KOSME will provide international market access to South Korean startups and facilitate connections with key stakeholders. We look forward to seeing their success in India.”
Jung Hwan Moon, Chief Representative India, KOSME, said, “KSC NEW Delhi Start-up Program 2020 is one of the Flagship Initiative taken by MSS ( Ministry of SMES & Start-up of South Korea) with the agenda of K startup Go Global I would like to congratulate all the 10 startups for getting selected in this Program. T-Hub being the main driver of this program, I strongly believe that this 2 month of intensive training will help the startups to build a strong foundation for their business in India.”
The shortlisted startups are:
| S. No. | Name of the startup | Description |
| 1 | One beauty Korea | It is a healthcare startup, which manufactures metal used for dental restorations, such as inlays, artificial teeth, crowns, bridges, etc., processed by computer-aided dental design and manufacturing units (4,5-axis milling machines). |
| 2 | A-virtual | The clean-air startup is into air-purifying gadgets for households, offices and cars. |
| 3 | Honour Farm | This water cleaning and disinfectant startup enables water quality control based on nanobubbles. |
| 4 | LabSD | This healthcare startup provides a comprehensive community eye health solution. EYELIKETM Platform allows health professionals with minimum training to conduct screenings of international standard for the diagnosis of eye diseases, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma or AMD at a reduced time and cost while sharing the information with the entire referral system |
| 5 | Letsfarm | This agri-tech startup offers Smart Edufarm in stackable versions, which will enable the user to have specially designed chambers for different types of plants or growth conditions. |
| 6 | Braincolla | This content management startup uses an AI and blockchain-based content acceleration platform for content-related business apps. |
| 7 | Coconut Silo | This logistics startup brings a freight transport brokerage platform that matches shippers* and car owners* who want to transport domestic cargo using the mobile app/web and international cargo across land borders. |
| 8 | L’air Pur Co., Ltd | This healthcare startup brings integrated breathing masks, which are easier to use and more comfortable to wear. |
| 9 | TAGHIVE Inc | This edutech startup is through Class Saathi— a combination of a low-cost classroom clicker and a mobile app that connects all the stakeholders— students, parents, teachers and administrators. There is a separate mobile app interface for each stakeholder. |
| 10 | Korean Aviation Lights | This aviation Light startup manufactures LED aviation obstruction light, explosion-proof LED aviation obstruction light, solar powered LED aviation obstruction light, helipad lighting system, solar panel, etc, with the best technology and quality. |
The two-month-long acceleration program for the startups will:
- Enable tailored business and investor connects in the Indian market.
- Enable them to gain access to and readiness for the Indian market by creating a trendsetting model.
- Empower them with knowledge and assistance to improve their product-market fit and business model. The localisation intervention is the heart of the program.
- Facilitate branding and marketing support, thereby helping them increase their brand visibility in the market.
- Conduct pre-departure virtual classroom sessions with dedicated mentors and subject matter experts and continue them for a month to help startups acclimatise with the local market expectations and culture.
- Organise for networking opportunities with key stakeholders of the startup ecosystem at Delhi NCR, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
