The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has bestowed the honor of being selected as the winning company in the 'WIPO Global Awards 2024,' which is held during the WIPO General Assembly, to AETECH as the first domestic company.

AETECH (AETECH, CEO Taehyung Park) is a startup that developed a waste AI optical sorting robot 'Atron.' Atron recognizes waste with 99.3% accuracy, sorts up to 96 units per minute, and has been commercialized in private and public recycling sorting facilities for the first time in Korea. AETECH attributed its key factor for this award to its business strategy based on patents.

AETECH has established a solid IP strategy, including 10 domestic patent registrations, 18 applications, and 7 PCT applications abroad, including patents related to AI-based recycling sorting systems. Based on this IP strategy, AETECH continues the commercialization of 'Atron' and maintains the highest sales record in Korea.

Last year, AETECH received the Presidential Award from the Korea Intellectual Property Office for its excellent performance in the Intellectual Property-R&D support program.

The WIPO Global Awards are presented to companies that have contributed to society by creatively and innovatively utilizing their IP strategies. The event is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN). This year, 667 companies from 107 countries around the world applied for the event, and the top 25 candidate companies were announced in June.

Subsequently, at the final award ceremony held in Geneva, Switzerland on the 12th, eight companies, including AETECH, were honored. CEO Taehyung Park and CSO Jaeho Ryu of AETECH attended the ceremony and celebrated the honor of winning. The winning companies receive mentoring, financial support, networking opportunities, and more.

CEO Taehyung Park remarked, "This WIPO Global Awards is not only an honor for our company, but also a high evaluation of the excellence of South Korea's K-IP strategy by WIPO, which has international credibility." He added, "In the future, AETECH will lead the commercialization of IP assets in the global waste resource market and establish itself as a pioneer in waste management in South Korea."

Meanwhile, AETECH is a graduate of the MaPo 9th IBK Changong program, a startup fostering platform of IBK Industrial Bank of Korea, and is supported by Tap Angels. It continues to grow with the goal of launching the second business model, an unmanned robot resource recovery center, and an IPO listing in 2025.

By Jae Ryeon Kim

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