Ubergizmo was invited to be a jury member of the Global Media Awards of the Korea-U.S. Startup Summit (aka, Korea-US SMEs go TOGETHER) innovation occasion held in New York City on September 20 and 21, 2022, and we obliged. For an outline of the occasion, learn our earlier put up.

After speaking to greater than 20 corporations at varied pavilions and evaluating their merchandise and applied sciences, we’ve got nominated 5 corporations whose merchandise resonate with us. Here they’re under, in reverse order:

#5 Lawfully

Lawfully is a service that helps hopeful US immigrants monitor their circumstances with the US Immigration Services. CEO Joon Ahn leads the corporate, and considered one of its co-founders is an NYC immigration lawyer.

Having gone by means of the visa, inexperienced card, and US Citizenship course of, I might have an knowledgeable view of their product. Lawfully makes use of the most recent authorities knowledge feeds and processes to offer potential immigrants a world perspective that’s up to date each day, generally a number of occasions.

For instance, it’s attainable to know if the particular immigration middle by which an individual’s file is making regular progress by monitoring the variety of circumstances processed each day. By analyzing the successes and rejected circumstances, Lawfully may also spot particular ache factors and lift consciousness to customers as they file their purposes. That might save months by avoiding a re-submission, for instance.

The primary service is free, however there are premium options, and extra correct knowledge customers pays for. There’s additionally the opportunity of asking inquiries to immigration attorneys and get a reply in minutes. The attorneys decide the payment by slices of 15mn. From what we are able to inform, costs within the vary of $45-$65 are affordable for this service. Lawfully pockets a small payment because the intermediate.

Overall, I’d have used this if it existed again then to make sure that issues had been transferring and that the data I submitted didn’t want additional warning.

#4 Teuida Inc

Teuida is a Korean-learning app for English or Vietnamese audio system. The app takes a distinct method by specializing in real-world conditions the place you’ll be able to perceive the context and vocabulary, and grammar.

That is a superb methodology of studying languages, for my part. I Speak three languages (English, French, and Vietnamese), and this technique seems fairly conducive to quick and sturdy studying, for my part. That’s in stark distinction with different strategies I’ve been uncovered to, particularly the educational type we’ve discovered in school.

Based on their knowledge, Teuida seen that greater than 90% of their customers are ladies (teenagers to younger adults) studying Korean as a result of they observe KPOP artists or TV Show actors. They’ve added interactions primarily based on these subjects and universes that may present additional incentive and enjoyable to their person base.

Teuida CEO Ji Woong Jang talked about that nearly everybody within the firm speaks multiple language, and I can’t consider a greater strategy to relate to their clients.

#3 POEN

POEN stands for POsitive Energy and is a startup targeted on re-purposing used battery packs. As such, they’re forward of the incoming wave of used batteries, which I about to hit the world as EV skyrocket in recognition.

Battery recycling is a difficult drawback and an afterthought for many of the trade and the final discourse round going “all-electric.” However, it’s one of the vital crucial challenges to deal with if we wish to make that inexperienced future occur.

POEN goals to rebuild new battery packs by re-using particular person cells when attainable and re-grouping them collectively into a brand new pack. They work with several types of cells and have developed a failure trigger evaluation and inspection methodology that permits them to identify cells that may be reused.

In some circumstances, it’s attainable to reconstruct a battery pack match for an electrical automobile (EV), which is the best choice. Other occasions, the cells could be re-assembled into packs destined to less-demanding purposes corresponding to energy banks or e-bikes.

CEO Seong-Jin Choi talked about that if the batteries will not be usable, POEN can discharge them with a self-developed system and course of the uncooked supplies to recuperate the essential elements to supply the “Black powder,” which is important to Lithium-Ion batteries.

#2 Mycell

Mycel is an organization that makes use of mushrooms’ mycelium (the foundation construction) as its base element to supply synthetic leather-based and even meals merchandise. The concept got here from Mycel CEO Sungjin Sah and has yielded an impressively shut replica of leather-based.

Even upon shut inspection and contact, it’s tough to inform if it’s real leather-based since Mycel can reproduce the appear and feel of real leather-based and its pure sturdiness. According to the corporate, the Mycel leather-based efficiency is comparable nearly to pure leather-based.

Since leather-based has fallen out of grace due to adjustments in company practices and its excessive carbon footprint, a product of this high quality satisfies high-end manufacturers looking for higher ESG scores with out compromising the standard.

As for the meals facet, Mycel factors out that it might produce a pure ingredient that will add texture to a plethora of plant-based meat merchandise. However, whereas the market is doubtlessly bigger, there’s a have to customise the mycelium product for every area/tradition. That is a widely known problem, and corporations like Coca-cola or McDonals adapt their merchandise on a regional foundation.

#1 Greenwhale Global

Greenwhale global has impressed us with a bio-degradable,non-toxic, plastic materials that appears and feels similar to our digital devices’ common plastic (one might even eat it). However, their bio-degradable product will fully disappear after a few years, whereas plastic may keep round and stay poisonous for hundreds of years.

Greenwhale’s bio-plastic isn’t solely better-looking than any competitor we’ve seen, additionally it is cheaper to supply, a major benefit in an trade the place prices drive many choices. While their product stays 1.5X costlier than polluting plastics, it’s as much as 2X extra reasonably priced than bio-degradable options.

And similar to common plastics, Greenwhale’s bio-plastic is delivered in pellets, and there are solely minor tweaks to the manufacturing line to make use of it.

That stated, Greenwhale founders Jiyoung Hwang and Taekyun Yoon word this product is natural, so if uncovered to fixed moisture, some decay may seem, in contrast to polluting plastic. That stated, the instant purpose is to exchange one-time-use plastic corresponding to plastic luggage, utensils and different merchandise with brief life spans.

Filed in Events. Read extra about Innovation, Korea, New York City and Startups.