1,712 teams competed at 39-to-1 odds; tech-driven ventures in AI, big data and femtech dominated

[Ministry of SMEs and Startups]
[Ministry of SMEs and Startups]

Startups working in artificial intelligence and femtech — technology addressing women's health — took top honors at the Women's Startup Competition organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

The ministry held the 27th Women's Startup Competition awards ceremony Thursday at Nine Tree Premier Hotel Rooftop & Lounge in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. The competition has run annually since 2000 to identify women-led ventures with strong ideas and business models and to promote technology-driven entrepreneurship.

This year's contest drew 1,712 teams, a competition ratio of 39 to 1, with 44 teams ultimately receiving awards. Ventures built on advanced technologies such as big data and AI stood out, as did women-focused business models in femtech, beauty, apparel and food that reflect women's experiences and demand.

The grand prize — the Minister of SMEs and Startups Award and 20 million won ($12,900) in prize money — went to Hwang Min-ji, chief executive of Innermaeum, which develops ergonomically designed wellness innerwear for women.

The top excellence awards went to Kim Hyeon-jeong, CEO of DeepClue, which developed a precision diagnosis and treatment-suitability assessment solution for ischemic stroke, and Han Hee-ju, CEO of CoreMotion, which introduced a sensor-based digital examination solution for diagnosing pelvic floor dysfunction in women.

Excellence awards went to Kim Yu-mi of Eumbaio, which developed a killifish-based anti-aging efficacy evaluation platform; Kim Jeong-hyeon of Fringz, which developed makeup puffs using ultra-precision coating technology; and Kim Ji-yeon of HyperNetwork, which developed a radar-based AI care and risk-detection platform.

All winning teams will receive prize money along with follow-on support including commercialization assistance and investment-matching programs. The top 13 teams will also earn berths in the integrated final round of the "Challenge! K-Startup" competition scheduled for September.

The results signal that the women's entrepreneurship ecosystem is rapidly shifting away from everyday consumer goods toward technology-driven ventures in AI, biotech and digital health. A significant share of the top winners are technology companies combining healthcare and AI, prompting assessments that the quality of women's startups has risen to a new level. The ministry plans to support the winning teams with commercialization assistance and investment matching to help promising women-led startups scale up.

"We will put in place active support measures so that women's potential can fully flourish," said Park Yong-sun, director general for SME policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.


boo@heraldcorp.com