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HCEDA Signs MOU With South Korean Agency to Create International Soft Landing Space in the Howard County Innovation Center

Monday, August 12, 2019

Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) representatives gathered today with individuals from Born2Global, a major South Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science and Information Communication Technology (MSIT), and Howard County Executive Calvin Ball, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to establish an international soft-landing space for South Korean tech companies at the Howard County Innovation Center.

Based in Pangyo, South Korea, Born2Global specializes in supporting startups’ entry into the global market. This is accomplished through their selection of high potential companies to reside in their incubator/accelerator space and providing these companies with business support, resources and professional services.

“The partnership between Born2Global and HCEDA will enable both the respective tech communities to grow and prosper together,” said Lawrence Twele, CEO of HCEDA. “This international landing zone will provide greater opportunities for international collaboration in both communities and increase access to the business opportunities present in each other’s markets.”

JongKap Kim, Chief Executive Director of K-ICT Born2Global Center stated “Through the MOU, I believe that innovative young entrepreneurs from south Korea and Howard County will have a meaningful opportunity to build a greater vision and succeed in the global market.”

Born2Global approached HCEDA to aid South Korean based firms interested in entering the international market. Soft-landing spaces provide an established infrastructure, professional network, and business assistance services, helping to greatly increase their overall success in the foreign marketplace. Born2Global are the first participants in HCEDA’s International Soft-Landing program.

The signing, held at the Howard County Innovation Center, was attended by Maryland First Lady Yumi Hogan, Deputy Secretary of MD Department of Commerce Benjamin Wu, six Born2Global startups, Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea Dr. Dokyu Lee, and several Howard County businesses.

“Earlier this year, we signed an MOU to launch our innovation center to support growing businesses and budding entrepreneurs. Now, we are taking another big step forward to make our County a global destination for bold and innovative startups,” said Howard County Executive Calvin Ball. “Howard County has a strong connection to our neighbors in South Korea, with the highest percentage of Korean- American residents in Maryland and over 170 Korean American-owned businesses. Now, we will partner with the ‘Silicon Valley’ of South Korea to further grow our local economy.”

South Korean companies in attendance included:

  • 12cm Global: A provider of innovative O2O (online to offline) and Fintech solutions with an echoss stamp based on authentication technology on a smartphone. The stamp is for commercial use, mainly in retail.
  • GSIL Co., Ltd: An IT company that provides accident prevention, safety examinations and field monitoring services in real-time using an integrated safety management system for professionals in the construction fields.
  • Hylium Industries, Inc.: A manufacturer of liquid hydrogen and helium, cryogenic liquid storage vessels, and cryogenic accessories. Founded to help compliment foreign cryogenic technologies in Korea, they are the first to create a mobile liquid hydrogen refueling station that will benefit “green energy technology” and fueling hydrogen powered cars.
  • LetinAR : A startup that develops glasses for Augmented Reality (AR). The design is made to be worn like a pair of conventional glasses and provides a wider virtual screen, accurately expresses colors, and provide a clear image without inducing dizziness.
  • Luxrobo Co., Ltd.: A developer of educational robots, IoT (Internet of Things) platform, and modular robotics kit.
  • MOIN, Inc.: A provider of blockchain-based remittance services. MOIN service helps people to send money cheaper, faster and easier. Now MOIN is providing remittance service from Korea to the United States, Japan, China, Singapore, UK, the EU and Australia.

The Howard County Innovation Center is a new initiative of HCEDA designed to be a nexus of innovation and collaboration for the businesses and entrepreneurs of Howard County and the surrounding region. The facility, located at 6751 Columbia Gateway Drive, houses the Maryland Center for Entrepreneurship, HCEDA’s administrative offices, the Howard Tech Council, Howard Community College, and small business resource providers, Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE). HCEDA also manages the Catalyst Loan Fund, a financing resource for small businesses. Designed to be a one-stop shop for business services, the Innovation Center provides a wide variety of services and events to promote the growth of businesses at every stage including resources for financing, training, education and business support.

Individuals interested in learning more about the Howard County Innovation Center can visit https://hocoinnovationcenter.com/.

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About HCEDA:
The Howard County Economic Development Authority is a public-private partnership whose primary goal is to promote economic growth and stability by supporting existing businesses, targeting new businesses, and attracting corporate/regional headquarters. HCEDA also maintains several programs aimed at the special needs of small, minority, and agricultural businesses. Additionally, the HCEDA strives to preserve the distinctive quality of life in Howard County. For more information, please visit HCEDA’s website at www.hceda.org.

About the Howard County Innovation Center:
The Howard County Innovation Center is a project developed from County and Statewide initiatives to cultivate technology, cyber, and innovation communities in the Baltimore-Washington Corridor. With the recent declaration of the Columbia Gateway Business Park area as an “Innovation Hub” for the County, the Center sits at the nexus of these activities, bringing together central Maryland’s top business and technology leaders for resource sharing, funding support, training, and mentoring. The Innovation Center is an initiative of HCEDA.

About Born2Global:
Born2Global Centre (Born2Global) is a full-cycle service platform for global expansion. Since its inception in 2013, B2G has emerged as a successful startup ecosystem. as the main Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science and Information Communication Technology (MSIT). Born2Global selects over 100 promising innovative technology companies each year. Over 50 companies are selected to reside in the business incubator/accelerator and receive professional consulting services at Born2Global’s Startup Campus. Nurturing innovative technology companies to be successful in the global arena, Born2Global provides professional business support services including consulting in law, patents, accounting, marketing, investment and business development. Services provided enhance innovative technology companies’ growth potential, expand the global startup ecosystem.

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