Ulsan CCEI, U-STAR 8th Batch Achievements Presentation

Ulsan's innovation engine, the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation (UCCEI), has opened the future! On the 4th, it successfully hosted the 'U-STAR 8th Demo Day' as a key event of the '2025 Ulsan Startup Festa,' invigorating the local startup ecosystem. The event, meticulously organized by accelerator Cluster Ventures, kicked off with an insightful keynote speech by Park Da-na, CEO of the startup 'Gollara,' who shared her "secrets to attracting investment." The subsequent IR pitching session featured five teams from U-STAR 8, each presenting their innovative ideas and visions. The participating startups demonstrated brilliant potential across diverse fields, ranging from solutions that maximize efficiency in industrial sites to technologies that break down global communication barriers, platforms that envision an eco-friendly future, and AI engines that open new horizons for content creation. A closer look at them reveals the following: * **Kraft Solution (CEO Choi Jae-hyuk):** Leads innovation in manufacturing sites with wireless sensors and AI thermostat solutions for unmanned processes in the mold industry. * **Crosshub (Director Kim Sang-yoon):** Develops 'IDBLOCK,' a domestic app service identity verification solution for short-term foreign visitors, enhancing convenience for global users. * **DataFlare (Senior Manager Park So-young):** Contributes to eco-friendly logistics with an AI port carbon convergence agent platform that measures ship carbon on land at ports. * **HOMI AI (CEO Kim Tae-yoon):** Proposes new content creation methods through a reference video-based generative AI engine. * **Peekaboo Labs (In-house Director Kim Seung-hwan):** Enhances the accessibility and efficiency of AI technology with 'Carve,' an on-device AI automatic optimization solution. Cluster Ventures provided comprehensive support to these startups, ranging from technology verification linkages and investment attraction consulting to legal and patent advice. Representatives from large and mid-sized companies in the Ulsan region and venture capital investors gathered on-site, showing keen interest, which clearly demonstrated the potential for regional innovative growth. Son Jin-won, CEO of Cluster Ventures, stated, "I was delighted to support their growth through customized mentoring and resource linkages tailored to each company's needs," and pledged to contribute to the development of the local startup ecosystem through continuous cooperation with the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation. An official from the Ulsan Center for Creative Economy & Innovation also affirmed, "The U-STAR 8th cohort companies have proven their potential in broad areas beyond manufacturing, including AI, data, and logistics," expressing a strong commitment to discovering and nurturing promising local startups. This demo day once again reinforced Ulsan's role as a cradle for innovative startups. The future they will create is highly anticipated.