Five innovative companies from the Gwangju region have won Innovation Awards at the world's largest information technology (IT) and consumer electronics exhibition, the 'CES 2025.'

On the 15th, the city of Gwangju announced that four representative companies from the Gwangju region participating in 'CES 2025' won CES Innovation Awards, while one company received the Best Innovation Award, marking a remarkable achievement.

The company that received the CES Best Innovation Award is Ghostpass Inc. (CEO Lee Seon-kwan), marking the first time a Gwangju-based company has won this prestigious honor. The CES Innovation Awards were given to four companies: Ecopiece (CEO Chae In-won), SOS Lab (CEO Jeong Ji-seong), E-Soltec (CEO Song Jong-woon), and Inbiz (CEO Park Seong-cheol).

The CES Innovation Award is presented by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) to products with outstanding engineering, functionality, design, and innovation. This prestigious award is given ahead of the annual CES, the world's largest IT and consumer electronics exhibition, held every January in Las Vegas.

The CES Innovation Award holds significant credibility, serving as a key indicator of a product's excellence. It also plays a crucial role in enhancing a company's brand awareness and trust. For companies preparing to expand overseas, this award carries special meaning, attracting the attention of international buyers and providing a substantial boost to corporate publicity and marketing efforts.

Ghostpass won the Best Innovation Award in the FinTech sector with its 'On-Device Biometric Authentication Payment Solution,' marking the first time a Gwangju-based company has received the Best Innovation Award and the second consecutive year of receiving the Innovation Award. This solution allows users to securely store their biometric information on their smartphones, maintaining control over their biometric data without needing to share it with third parties.

Ecopiece won the Innovation Award in the smart city sector with its integrated product, the 'Healing Boat,' which is installed in urban lake parks. The boat not only supports water leisure activities for citizens but also has a water purification function. Ecopiece received the Innovation Award for the second consecutive year, following last year's achievement.

SOS Lab won the Innovation Award in the advanced mobility sector with its 'ML-U,' a high-dimensional LiDAR sensor capable of generating distance and color values. The 'ML-U' not only solves calibration issues between different types of sensors but also eliminates the need for separate camera sensors, enabling cost savings. This technology has the potential to reduce the cost of building sensor modules for autonomous driving.

E-Soltec won the Innovation Award in the human security sector with its 'Multipurpose Modular Chamber' that integrates air conditioning and IT technologies. E-Soltec has been rapidly growing both domestically and internationally, having also won the grand prize at the '2024 Disaster Safety Industry New Technology Competition' in September.

Inbiz won the Innovation Award in the artificial intelligence sector with its heart ultrasound AI automation solution, 'AI Eco Care,' helping to promote Gwangju as a global hub for artificial intelligence.

The city is providing comprehensive support for local companies participating in CES 2025, including consulting for Innovation Award applications, global marketing, business matching, and capacity-building training.

At this year's CES, the city will operate two exhibition spaces: the Gwangju Pavilion and the Integrated Korea Pavilion (KOTRA), to support local companies in showcasing their products.

The city established the basic plan for participating in CES 2025 in April, and after announcing a call for companies in July, 15 local companies were selected to participate.

Joo Jae-hee, Director of the Gwangju Economic and Startup Bureau, stated, "Local companies have demonstrated the growth potential of the regional industry by winning the CES Innovation Award and Best Innovation Award ahead of participating in the world's largest exhibition. We will continue to work hard to help local companies strengthen the excellence of their products and their market competitiveness on the global stage."

Gwangju = Kim Han-sik, Reporter hskim@etnews.com