Gangwon Innovation Center's 5 Investees Selected for Pre-TIPS and TIPS

Another piece of good news has arrived for Gangwon's innovation ecosystem! Five startups discovered and invested in by the Gangwon Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (hereinafter referred to as Gangwon Innovation Center) have achieved the remarkable feat of being finally selected for Pre-TIPS and TIPS, key support programs of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups. The five companies selected this time are 'Another Doctor' and 'Parrotech' for Pre-TIPS, and 'Conexi', 'Biobites', and 'Soundedge' for TIPS. This achievement is even more significant because all of it was made possible through seed investment from the 'Gangwon Innovation Startup Fund No. 1' operated by the Gangwon Innovation Center. **Pre-TIPS** is a program that accelerates the growth of early-stage startups outside the Seoul Metropolitan Area and lays the groundwork for linkage with TIPS. On the other hand, **TIPS** is a program where the private sector and the government collaborate to intensively foster promising tech startups. Selected companies will receive exceptional support totaling up to 800 million KRW (500 million for technology development, 300 million for commercialization and overseas marketing) over the next two years. So, who are the protagonists who seized this special opportunity? For Pre-TIPS, **Another Doctor**, which dreams of innovating dental care with its AI solution 'T-GRID' for automatic tooth color matching, and **Parrotech**, which develops an electric vehicle conversion platform for special purpose vehicles, have been named. The companies selected for TIPS are also noteworthy: **Conexi**, pioneering the future data market with its IPFS-based decentralized data storage; **Biobites**, aiming to collect local hospital and clinic data through its comprehensive sarcopenia management interview service for seniors, subsequently sell data to pharmaceutical companies, and target 1 billion KRW in follow-up investment; and **Soundedge**, which has completed business conversion to a music distribution data platform for music planners, secured paid customers, and finished its Proof of Concept (PoC). All five of these companies were discovered through the Gangwon Innovation Center's 'StartupBuS' program, which has been operating since this year. Through this program, the Gangwon Innovation Center is strengthening investment in local startups and linkage with Pre-TIPS and TIPS, actively supporting the growth of technology-based companies. Lee Hae-jung, CEO of Gangwon Innovation Center, expressed her aspirations, stating, "I am very pleased that the startups discovered early and provided with seed investment by the center have achieved such results," and "Going forward, as a venture builder in the Gangwon region, we will devote all our efforts to investing in and nurturing early-stage startups." This selection once again proves the vitality and potential of the Gangwon region's startup ecosystem, and we look forward to the innovative growth of these companies.