Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (CEO Kim Won-kyung) is operating the 2025 Startup Leap Package support program, backing the growth of companies in the leap stage that have been established for 3 to 7 years. Organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development, this program selects a total of 46 companies, including 26 in large corporate collaboration tracks with conglomerates such as KT and LG Electronics, and 20 in the Korea Venture Investment Corp. (KVIC) investment-linked track. It provides up to KRW 200 million in business funds and an accelerating program that includes growth strategy consulting.


In addition, the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation operates a variety of startup support programs for startups at multiple stages, focusing on revitalizing the domestic startup market and discovering and nurturing outstanding startups. From among these startups, it has selected and is introducing a number of high-performing companies that posted notable results last year and are expected to be active in 2026.

‘Innoteco’, a sensor specialist company opening the future of gas safety

Innoteco (CEO Kim In-ho) is a gas sensor and gas safety device specialist company founded in 2021, currently based in the startup incubator center of Korea Polytechnic University in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. Innoteco’s main businesses are the manufacturing of gas alarms and software development, and leveraging a range of gas sensor technologies, it is responsible for safety in industrial sites and living spaces. It has developed a carbon monoxide alarm and provided practical safety solutions, including participation in a pilot project for a fire detection and prevention system at Namdaemun Market.


Innoteco’s core competitiveness lies in its independently developed sensor technology. After six months of research, it developed an ammonia sensor for smart farms and launched it on the market. This sensor has completed verification by the Korea Institute of Agricultural Technology Promotion in accordance with KS X 3279, can accurately detect ammonia in the 0–100 ppm range, and is equipped with RS-485 Modbus communication capability. In particular, the company applied its self-developed hot-wire-type semiconductor sensor, which has been evaluated as having excellent selectivity, long service life, and superior detection performance with linear signal output.

The company has also embarked on hydrogen sensor development in preparation for the hydrogen economy era. It has carried out a national R&D project on hydrogen sensor development and participated in a verification project for hydrogen and oxygen sensors within water electrolysis equipment at Korea East-West Power. In addition, as part of an industry-academia joint research team comprising Ajou University, MNTech, BePurple, Korea East-West Power, and Jeonnam Technopark, it has taken part in a project to develop an explosion-proof hydrogen and oxygen sensor system for water electrolysis.

Innoteco was also finally selected in 2022 for an industry-academia-research cooperation program run by the Korea Technology and Information Promotion Agency for SMEs under the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and has since conducted gas sensor device development through semiconductor process design together with Professor Kim Chang-gyu of the Department of Nano Semiconductor Engineering at Korea Polytechnic University. In 2024, it was selected for the second round of the Global R&D track under the Startup Growth Technology Development (Stepping Stone) Program, thereby laying the groundwork for market entry. The company has obtained U.S. FCC certification as an international certification and is expanding its product lineup with launches such as a smart gas alarm.

‘Entertake’, pursuing innovation in home beauty tech

Entertake Co., Ltd. (CEO Oh Seong-min) is a beauty-tech startup founded in 2021, specializing in hair coloring and scalp research, skin care, and medical support. Comprising experts in medical devices, beauty devices, cosmetics R&D, and marketing, the company is sustaining growth by integrating IT and healthcare technologies.

CEO Oh Seong-min has built extensive experience and business know-how in the medical device and healthcare fields, having served as a senior research fellow at the Medical Device Development Support Center of Kwangwoon University, a senior researcher at SMD Solution, a subsidiary of Seoul National University, and a senior researcher at the Medical Device Development Center of Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital. Based on this background, he founded the company with the vision of sharing a healthy and beautiful life with everyone.


In its fourth year since establishment, Entertake has been continuously participating in CES for the past two years, attracting a high level of interest from major global companies in France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and other markets. Overseas companies are closely watching the progress of its product development and are in ongoing discussions regarding cooperation and business potential.

Entertake has been developing next-generation coloring technology that combines hair dyeing and nutritional care, and in 2025 it successfully completed tests for each core function. Early this year, it completed the final mock-up prototype and plans to enter mass production in the second half of the same year.

The company currently holds around 20 core patents related to its coloring technology and intends to further strengthen the technological entry barrier through continuous additional applications. In particular, with the completion of implementation of the most critical technology in early December last year, attention is concentrating on the company, especially in overseas markets where home hair dyeing culture is rapidly spreading.

The core technology has already been implemented at the mock-up stage, and based on this, full-fledged discussions have begun in overseas markets regarding license agreements and MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity). Accordingly, Entertake is preparing to transition from a purely R&D-oriented company to a more market-oriented enterprise and is focusing on establishing marketing strategies to penetrate global markets.

CEO Oh Seong-min said, “Advanced technologies are now being integrated into the hair dyeing market as well. The tedious and cumbersome time spent dyeing hair will become a time to enjoy one’s own transformation, much like putting on makeup,” adding, “We plan to shorten the existing dyeing process, which used to take more than 30 minutes, to around 15 minutes so that users can enjoy a more convenient and pleasant dyeing experience.”

‘Mind Health KU’, presenting a new standard in mental health care

Mind Health KU, led by Professor Choi Ki-hong of the Department of Psychology at Korea University, is a mental health specialist startup established through a faculty startup from the KU Mind Health Research Center, an affiliated institution of the Department of Psychology at Korea University. The Mind Health KU Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center provides psychotherapy focused on depression, anxiety, social anxiety, panic, marital issues, and severe mental disorders, offering both online and offline counseling.

CEO Choi Ki-hong emphasizes the importance of emotions based on deep insights into mental health. On this foundation, Mind Health KU offers a deep therapeutic approach that goes beyond simple symptom alleviation, helping clients understand their emotions and discover values in life.

In August last year, Mind Health KU signed a business agreement with E-Tribe, a digital platform development specialist, for the joint development and commercialization of “Dabom,” an AI mental health app tailored to seniors. The agreement aims for the official launch of Dabom by this year, with both companies sharing the goal of providing a practical solution to fill the gap in mental care in a super-aged society. Dabom is designed to prevent the vicious cycle of late-life depression and cognitive decline and, going beyond simple chatbot functions, to implement a relationship-oriented conversational AI that captures the emotional nuances of users and expresses empathy and support.


Mind Health KU is setting a new standard for mental health services based on the scientific reliability of academia and principles for ethical data management.

‘USNK’, enabling autonomous driving and robotic hearing with AI sound sensors

USNK (CEO Kim Young-eon) is a startup specializing in AI-based sound recognition sensors, developing innovative technologies for the safe operation of intelligent robots and smart mobility. Its main product, “AI Earbot,” is a sound recognition sensor that utilizes AI technology to provide robots and autonomous vehicles with the ability to perceive and analyze sound like the human ear. In particular, it has secured differentiated competitiveness with proprietary technology that recognizes the direction, distance, and characteristics of non-verbal audio sources.

USNK’s technological strength stems from its original patent for the independently developed QRAS algorithm. This algorithm can precisely recognize the direction, distance, and characteristics of non-verbal audio sources, enabling autonomous vehicles and robots to grasp sound information in their surroundings in real time.

AI Earbot is equipped with advanced technology that recognizes sirens from ambulances, fire trucks, motorcycles, helicopters, and other emergency vehicles by sound, thereby improving the safety of autonomous vehicles. Its differentiating factor lies in providing auditory information that cannot be easily detected using cameras and radar alone.


USNK also has two main product lines: AHS (Auto Hearing System) and SDS (Sound Determination Sensor). AHS is a hearing system for automobiles, designed to enable vehicles to perceive surrounding sounds and respond appropriately. Through its TFD (Two Function Display) feature, it visualizes sound information and delivers it to the driver in an intuitive way. Meanwhile, SDS is a sound recognition sensor developed for a wider range of applications and can be applied in intelligent robots, smart homes, security systems, and other fields.

In January 2024, USNK participated in the “18th Startup 815 IR-Alliance” event hosted by the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation, carrying out investment attraction activities with the goal of being selected for the TIPS (Tech Incubator Program for Startup) program. The company currently operates an R&D center and is focusing on technology development, while also preparing for global market entry based on its patented technologies.

IT Donga reporter Moon Kyu Lee (munch@itdonga.com)

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