Less than half a year after establishment, its potential was recognized enough to be selected as a K-water cooperative startup and Samsung Electronics C-Lab Outside, and it is currently proving its potential by conducting technology demonstration (PoC) with customers at TRL stage 7. In addition, we are discussing joint research with SK Eco Plant on marine waste resources, including oyster shells.

Techstars, founded in Boulder, Colorado in 2006, initially invested in Sendgrid, acquired by Twilio, PillPack, acquired by Amazon, and Uber. It is considered one of the top three accelerators in the U.S., along with Y-Combinator and 500Startups, and is one of the most coveted accelerators by startups dreaming of expanding overseas.

Techstars, which selects 700 early-stage startups from around the world every year and runs an accelerator program for three months, created the program in collaboration with the University of Alabama and the Tuscaloosa Economic Development Authority (TCEDA), which have excellent, cutting-edge water resources research resources in the United States. Blue Labs was the only Korean startup selected for the program despite fierce competition.

Jeong Sang-ho, CEO of BLUELABS, said, “Selection for the Techstars program will make it easier to secure opportunities for overseas expansion.” He added, “By taking advantage of the intensive mentoring from the Techstars professional mentors and business cooperation opportunities with the Alabama Water Research Institute, we will accelerate our advancement into overseas markets.” “I expect it to stick,” he said.

Sebastian Turano, Techstars Accelerator Manager, said, “I was surprised by the technology that used useless oyster shells to adsorb heavy metals that pose a threat to water safety,” and added, “We are working hard to ensure that BLUELABS can exert influence not only in the U.S. but also globally. “We will actively help with Techstars’ resources,” he said.