Gwanak-gu startups showcase innovation at KES 2026

Gwanak-gu, in partnership with the Gwanak Small and Medium Venture Promotion Agency, joined KES 2026 — the Korea Electronics Show — which opened Tuesday at COEX in Seoul, showcasing innovative technologies and products from startups based at Gwanak S-Valley.

Now in its 57th edition, the Korea Electronics Show is the country's premier electronics and IT exhibition, drawing 500 companies across advanced industries including AI transformation, robotics and mobility, with a total of 1,100 booths. Gwanak-gu and the promotion agency are operating an eight-booth Gwanak S-Valley pavilion through Friday, presenting innovative products and technologies from local startups.

The five participating companies are Munerix, Arto AI, Airlet, Idea and Planninggo. Munerix is presenting an intelligent automated access system that uses vision AI to control door locks and entryways simultaneously; Idea is showcasing a food-tech instant-meal cooker tailored for single-person households and the ready-to-eat market; and Planninggo is displaying an AI- and 3D-based product, pricing and quotation solution designed for manufacturers.

Ahead of the exhibition's opening, two of the five companies earned recognition at the KES Innovation Awards: Airlet won for its on-device AI-powered autonomous shoe-care device, and Arto AI took honors for its voice-conversation-based aircraft maintenance support solution.

This year's awards recognized 42 products from 35 companies across six categories. Among the five domestic startup and small and medium-sized enterprise winners in the AI transformation category, two were Gwanak S-Valley tenants — a result the district said demonstrates the valley's strong technological competitiveness.

Gwanak-gu supported the participating companies with individual promotional booths and exhibition fixtures, pre-arranged introductions to matched buyers and venture capital investors, and one-on-one business meetups during the exhibition for purchase consultations and investment discussions, all aimed at opening real market channels and attracting investment.

Meanwhile, Gwanak-gu has continued to support Gwanak S-Valley tenants at major domestic and international exhibitions — including CES, MWC and the World IT Show — to expand their opportunities for market entry and investment attraction both at home and abroad.

The district's efforts have yielded results on the global stage: its startups have won a total of four CES Innovation Awards from 2022 through 2026, beginning with a Best of Innovation Award in 2022. In March this year, Gwanak-gu became the first and only autonomous district in Seoul to operate a dedicated booth at MWC, supporting Gwanak S-Valley companies in their global expansion.

Going forward, Gwanak-gu plans to continue working with the Gwanak Small and Medium Venture Promotion Agency to strengthen tailored support for promising venture and startup companies at each stage of their growth, and to expand follow-up assistance so that exhibition results translate into concrete market access, investment attraction and overseas expansion — further building the competitiveness of Gwanak S-Valley.

"The Gwanak S-Valley companies achieved a remarkable result by winning awards in the AI transformation category in their very first appearance at the Korea Electronics Show," Gwanak-gu District Mayor Park Jun-hee said. "We will actively support our companies in showcasing their outstanding technologies to a wider audience and making an even greater leap in both domestic and international markets."