The 10th KGCCI Innovation Awards: Spotlight on Korean-German AI Innovators

(Seoul, November 8, 2024) The Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI, President & CEO Martin Henkelmann) awarded Henkel Consumer Brands Korea, Medipixel Inc., Pebble-Square, and Petnow Inc. as innovators of the year at the ‘10th KGCCI Innovation Awards’ on November 8 at Banyan Tree Club and Spa Hotel in Seoul, Korea.

This milestone event, officially supported by the Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), the KGCCI Innovation Awards, launched in 2015, are to support companies that create value in the Korean market through innovative products, processes, and technologies, while also promoting new business collaborations between Korea and Germany. This year’s event was sponsored by Henkel Korea, Merck Korea, Robert Bosch Korea, and Siemens Korea.

The awards selection was based on five criteria: △Degree of innovation △Proven market success △Influence on company △Benefit for society △Diversity and inclusion by a Korean-German panel of distinguished judges from business, academia, and research.

The event featured special guests, including H.E. Ban Ki-moon, President of the Assembly & Chair of the Council of the Global Green Growth Institute and the 8th Secretary-General of the United Nations and the keynote speaker, Nils Müller, CEO and Founder of TRENDONE and Juror of the KGCCI Innovation Awards, who highlighted the transformative impact of AI technology on business innovation.

Ban Ki-moon underscored the critical need for collaborative action, stating, “I have said many times that the existential threat of the climate crisis is too big for governments to tackle alone: we need governments, companies, research institutions, and civil society groups to all work together. In this regard, I would like to express my appreciation to all the supporters who help to build a sustainable future from within the private sector.”

Dr. Martin Henkelmann, KGCCI President and CEO, emphasized the significance of the event, stating, “Celebrating the 10^th edition of the KGCCI Innovation Awards underscores the expanding diversity and strength of the Korean-German business partnership. This milestone reaffirms our commitment to nurturing innovative ideas that not only drive business success but also foster positive societal impact.”

2024 KGCCI Innovation Awards Winners

Henkel Consumer Brands Korea was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Sustainability’ category for its ‘Persil Deep Clean Course’. Samsung Electronics' washing machine and Henkel’s Korea #1 market share laundry detergent for 10 consecutive years, Persil, jointly developed the 'Persil Deep Clean Course' that provides the best washing experience and energy-saving effect for the modern-day consumer. This course combines both Samsung's proprietary ‘AI Bubble’ technology with Persil's superior efficacy washing formula that cleans hard-to-remove yellow stains as well as maintains cleanliness of the washing machine, helping consumers experience the best washing effect possible. In addition, even when washed in colder temperatures, the ‘Persil Deep Clean Course’ achieves the same washing effect as employing that of a standard course (with higher temperatures of over 40%) thus, saves up to 60% more energy compared to that of a standard washing cycle. Plus, one can save up to 600ml detergent per year when using the ‘Persil Deep Clean Course’ along with the ‘AI detergent automatic dispenser’ function, which automatically optimizes the amount of detergent used by assessing the amount and degree of contamination of the laundry before each wash cycle.

Medipixel Inc. was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Society Impact’ category for its “Medipixel XA(MPXA).” MPXA is a diagnostic tool for cardiovascular conditions, offering real-time lesion analysis, stent recommendations, and high accuracy in vascular imagine with its exceptional performance in vascular segmentation (0.92 F1 score) and vascular classification (0.99 F1 score). MPFFR provides non-invasive FFR measurement using AI to analyze 2D angiographic images without a guidewire, enhancing consistency and reducing procedure complexity.

Pebble-Square was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Technology’ category for its “AI chips – MINT and PAPAYA”. Based on Processing-In-Memory (PIM) technology, the chips are designed by mimicking the neural network structure processing data storage and computation at the same location. They significantly improve performance and drastically reduce power consumption. PAPAYA offers up to 100 times greater computational efficiency compared to traditional GPUs. Additionally, with on-device AI and AI-driven fault analysis solutions, chips can process data in real time, offering enhanced data security.

Petnow Inc. was awarded in the ‘Innovation in Business’ category. Petnow Inc. developed a technology to identify dogs by taking a photo of their nose prints, which have a unique pattern like human fingerprint. No need to press camera button, but three types of AI automatically select and take photos of pets, that is suitable for biometric identification. In addition, Petnow successfully developed the world’s first cat facial recognition technology and lost pet finding function that detects similarities of their pets and sends notifications to carer.

Shim Hyeong-bo, Henkel Consumer Brands Korea, winner of ‘Innovation in Sustainability’ award, said, “This award is a recognition of combining the performance technology of Henkel, a renowned German detergent company, with Samsung’s innovative washing machines to provide a completely differentiated washing experience for our consumers as well as evidence of our joint effort in the long-standing legacy of sustainability into the future.” He added, “We will continue to do our very best to research and develop better methods to provide a cleaner environment for generations to come.”

Kyo-suk Song, CEO of Medipixel, winner of ‘Innovation in Society Impact’ award, stated, “This award signifies not only recognition but also serves as a meaningful steppingstone for Medipixel’s global advancement. Moving forward, we will continue to lead innovations that illuminate the future of the Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) industry.”

ChoongHyun Lee, CEO of Pebble-Square, winner in ‘Innovation in Technology’ award, stated, “This award acknowledges the innovation of our MINT and PAPAYA AI chips, which have demonstrated high performance and ultra-low power consumption through PIM technology. We will continue to lead AI technology innovation and strive to deliver solutions that maximize energy efficiency across various industries.”

Joonho Lim, CEO of Petnow Inc., recipient of ‘Innovation in Business’ Award, said, “I am delighted to have been recognized for our innovation in pet technology and receive an award in Germany, with such an advanced pet culture who have a pet knowledge certification exam(Sachkundenachweis für Hunde).” He added, “I hope that this award will lead to active use of Petnow technology in pet registration management and lost pet searches in Germany as well.”