7 Korean AI Startups Undergo 15-Week Intensive Training at World-Leading Institute

Seoul AI Hub continues its robust collaboration with the world-renowned AI research institute Mila for the third consecutive year, actively supporting the global leap of domestic AI startups. Recently, seven promising domestic AI startups were dispatched to the Mila AI Research Institute in Montreal, Canada, to commence 15 weeks of in-depth joint technical research. Based on the partnership signed between Seoul AI Hub and Mila last December, this year marks the second iteration of the ‘Scientist in Residence’ program, a unique collaborative model where domestic startups solve technical challenges they face on-site with world-class researchers. Mila, founded by deep learning authority Yoshua Bengio, is an institution leading AI innovation with over 1,300 researchers achieving global results in cutting-edge fields such as language modeling, object recognition, and generative AI. The seven selected companies – Drapp, Resolution, Bodabi, FIASpace, V-dime, BLAST, and Fresh Hour – are dedicated to advancing AI technology to solve core industry-wide challenges such as AI-based software development, manufacturing robot control, multimodal behavior analysis, sales conversation analysis, AI video content production, and medical image-based cancer diagnosis, through one-on-one matching with Mila's expert researchers. Seoul AI Hub assigns a research advisor in addition to the matched researchers to closely monitor weekly research progress, thereby strengthening the scientific completeness and feasibility of the projects. Beyond technology development, Seoul AI Hub provides comprehensive support, including networking and market entry within the North American AI ecosystem. It arranges cooperation meetings with key local organizations such as Investissement Québec, Montréal International, and Centech, as well as providing support for corporate establishment and research funding within Quebec. Through practical support such as participation in joint R&D projects, connection to investment attraction, legal and tax consulting, and local market entry strategies, it helps companies successfully establish themselves in North America. Furthermore, participating companies directly engage in Mila's research community events, such as the Partner Symposium and Reading Group, expanding opportunities for exchange with researchers and startups worldwide. In particular, by being registered as official partners of the Mila AI Research Institute, they gain access to a wide range of benefits across the AI ecosystem, including intern recruitment, joint projects, and access to internal Mila research information. Frédéric Laurin, Director General of Partnerships and Development at Mila, evaluated this collaboration as an important starting point for AI cooperation between Seoul and Montreal, and further between Korea and Canada, expressing the expectation that the combination of Korea's applied technology and Canada's fundamental research will lead the development of the global AI ecosystem. Park Chan-jin, Director of Seoul AI Hub, emphasized the precise technical responsiveness of Mila's researchers and stated that the Hub would further dedicate itself to fostering AI companies that encompass both technology and market, through strategic connections with the global AI ecosystem.