KT announced on Jan. 6 that it held a meeting with heads of startups under the Gyeonggi Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (CCEI) at the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas, where CES 2016 is being held, on Jan. 5 (local time), for expansion into the global market.
At the meeting, KT Chairman Hwang Chang-kyu said, “In a bid to help startups extend their businesses abroad, KT is supporting its capacity, including global networks. We will run various programs so that you can grow into a K-Champ, Korea’s hidden champion in the global market.”
In order to select the startups attending CES 2016, the largest IT and home appliance expo in the U.S., KT and the Gyeonggi CCEI examined CES event conformity, the level of product commercialization and global directivity of products. As a result, they chose four companies – Carby, Haebora, 247 and Neofact – and sponsored them to attend CES for networking opportunities with potential customers. These four companies will visit the event during the period and demonstrate their products and services for global buyers.
KT and the Gyeonggi CCEI carried out various joint programs to support startups last year. The Gyeonggi CCEI hosted the mentoring day, set up a channel for investment suggestions, supported the purchase of fostering company products, and sought to establish joint enterprises with them. Also, KT is helping CCEI startups push into the global market through the joint participation of overseas exhibitions such as the Mobile World Congress (MWC), Communic Asia, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Orange Fab Demo Day.
Meanwhile, Chairman Hwang plans to meet Brian Krzanich, CEO of global IT firm Intel; Lowell McAdam, CEO of Veriozon; and Mats Granryd, Director General of the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association (GSMA) during CES to exchange opinions about the trend of Information & Communication Technology and discuss plans for business cooperation.