Commemorative photo of the MOU signing ceremony | Photo provided by Kakao Enterprise
Kakao Enterprise (CEO Kyung-Jin Lee) is teaming up with Kakao Impact and MODULABS to use Kakao Cloud to connect people and the world, aiming to realize various values for a better society.
On September 30, Kakao Enterprise announced that it signed a three-way Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Kakao’s corporate foundation, Kakao Impact (Chairman Sukyoung Ryu), and MODULABS, a community-based growth education platform company (CEO Seungil Kim), to collaborate on “Tech for Impact,” a project that uses technology to address social issues.
The signing ceremony, held at Kakao Enterprise’s office in Pangyo, was attended by key figures such as Kyung-Jin Lee, CEO of Kakao Enterprise; Jihye Lee, Chief Growth Officer (CGO); Sukyoung Ryu, Chairman of Kakao Impact; Simna Yuk, Secretary General of Kakao Impact; and Seungil Kim, CEO of MODULABS.
Kakao Impact and MODULABS operate a “LAB” within the Tech for Impact technology community, which creates technological solutions like research papers, studies, services, and tools to tackle social problems. Through this MOU, the three parties will provide cloud credits for LAB projects to be conducted on the Kakao Cloud platform over the next year.
The LAB, which creates “helping technologies” using AI, will have access to various cloud services, including Kakao Cloud’s GPU as a Service (GPUaaS), which is specialized for AI service development. This will enable the creation of more sophisticated project outcomes. Kakao Enterprise will also offer consulting and educational programs to help the LAB utilize Kakao Cloud more effectively.
Nine different LABs will operate in the Tech for Impact community until March next year. Projects include the “DVA (Drone Video Analysis) LAB,” which develops a web service analyzing drone footage to protect the habitat of Jeju Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins, and the “Solar Search LAB,” which aims to detect small-scale solar panels through aerial image analysis. Other LABs include the “Anyone Reporter LAB,” which is building an LLM-based AI assistant chatbot to support data-driven decision-making; the “A(n)Eye LAB,” developing a lightweight AI model to detect cataracts early using only smartphone cameras, and the “B-Peach LAB,” creating an AI service that simplifies text for slow learners.
Kyung-Jin Lee, CEO of Kakao Enterprise, stated, “Through this MOU, we will spare no effort in supporting the development of various ‘helping technologies’ based on Kakao Cloud, contributing to the spread of positive societal influence. We will actively participate in the Tech for Impact initiative and work toward creating a Kakao Cloud ecosystem that realizes shared values through technology.”
Sukyoung Ryu, Chairman of Kakao Impact, said, “We expect this MOU to solidify technology as an essential means of realizing social value. With the innovative infrastructure support of Kakao Cloud, we will significantly impact solving social issues. Kakao Impact will do its best to develop and spread a model of helping the world through technology with Tech for Impact.”
Seungil Kim, CEO of MODULABS, added, “Through this MOU, Tech for Impact LABs will contribute more effectively to solving social problems by utilizing Kakao Cloud’s infrastructure and services. We look forward to the Tech for Impact technology community developing innovative solutions and creating tangible social value.”
Pangyo Techno Valley is a global integrated R&D hub focused on IT, BT, CT, and NT, integrating Research (R), People (P), Information (I), and Trade (T). As Gyeonggi-do’s representative innovation cluster, Pangyo Techno Valley was established to secure national new growth drivers such as technological innovation, human resource development, job creation, and enhancing international business competitiveness. As of 2023, 1,666 companies employ 78,751 people, and it has positioned itself as the most innovative hub in South Korea, with sales amounting to 167.7 trillion KRW (125.5 billion USD).
Furthermore, the Techno Valley Innovation Division of the Gyeonggi-do Business & Science Accelerator (GBSA) holds monthly events such as the Pangyo Evening Meet-Up, Pan-Pan Day, and the Pangyo Startup Investment Exchange “In-Best Pangyo” to maximize the value of Pangyo Techno Valley. They also support the Pangyo Overseas Promotion Program to publicize information about Pangyo’s companies, products, and services to domestic and foreign investors and the media, thereby facilitating foreign investment.
