Google Play Changgu 7: 100 Challenges, Embracing the Future and the Times

Google Play has announced the final selection of 100 innovative startups for the 'Changgu Program Season 7,' conducted in collaboration with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups and the Korea Institute of Startup & Entrepreneurship Development. Now in its seventh iteration since its launch in 2019, this program serves as a crucial bridge for domestic startups to leap into the global market. Among the selected companies, Jamjam Therapeutics particularly stands out, having unveiled 'Pinkfong & Jamjam Friends,' a game-based rehabilitation app for children utilizing AI motion recognition technology. This service helps children with developmental delays easily and enjoyably perform fine motor skill rehabilitation at home. Additionally, DetailGames' 'Aliens Are Hungry' has already secured 500,000 users and is preparing for expansion into the East Asian and North American markets, while Moonis' 'Nightly' contributes to improving the sleep quality of modern people with its brainwave-based customized sounds. The eating disorder management app 'Pomelo' and the female traveler community 'NomadHer' present services that delicately respond to the social issues and demands of our time, earning deep empathy. The selection results for Changgu Program Season 7 clearly highlight three key trends. First, it's the **combination of AI and practicality**. Various services such as 'Pinkfong & Jamjam Friends,' 'Catitime,' 'STREAM,' and 'Solve' provide precise and customized AI solutions for specific problems, proving that AI has evolved into a core tool driving concrete innovation. Second, it's the **rise of casual games for the fragmented leisure time of busy modern individuals**. Games like 'Denver's Forest' and 'Raccoon's Store' are gaining immense popularity by offering a short escape from reality for relaxation and healing. Third, it's the **increase in services targeting the global market from the outset**. Bold survival strategies that aim beyond the Korean market to the global stage are prominent, with 'Toodee' targeting the Vietnamese education market, 'Moji' targeting global Gen Z, and 'Six Clash' targeting the Indian cricket market. Google Play provides substantial support to the selected startups, including 'Changgu Growth Support Seminars' and 'VC Office Hours,' and particularly helps strengthen essential capabilities in the rapidly changing AI era through the newly established 'Changgu AI Study Jam' this year. Kim Kyung-hoon, Country Director of Google Korea, pledged to lay the groundwork for domestic developers to realize their potential and expressed anticipation for the future that these 100 startups will present. The Changgu Program Season 7 startups are poised to drive the advancement of AI technology and the expansion of the global market, creating new value. The trajectory of their innovative challenges is highly anticipated, to see what positive changes they will bring to future society and what successes they will achieve on the global stage.