SOS Lab CEO Jiseong Jeong Participates as Speaker at 'Kakao AI Dot Summit 26'

Jisung Jung, CEO of SOSLAB, is giving a presentation at the 'Kakao AI Dot Summit 26' venue. Provided by SOSLAB

Jiseong Jeong, CEO of SOS Lab, a company specializing in LiDAR-based spatial intelligence solutions, shared his entrepreneurial journey from the local region to becoming a global technology firm.

SOS Lab announced on October 1 that CEO Jeong was invited as a speaker at the 'Kakao AI Dot Summit 26', where he gave a presentation on the topic 'From Local to Global: Scale-Up Strategies for Tech Entrepreneurs in the Era of Physical AI.'

During the event, CEO Jeong introduced the process of transforming laboratory technology into actual products and businesses, expanding the company's business domain from autonomous driving into robotics and physical AI, and the challenges and trial-and-error he experienced during listing on KOSDAQ and entering the global market.

He especially emphasized that starting a business in a local region is not a limitation for the growth of a technology company, but rather can serve as the starting point for building competitiveness. He explained the process of turning LiDAR technology developed in the lab into products that customers actually purchase, detailed the key decisions made during market expansion, and suggested growth strategies to aspiring entrepreneurs.

CEO Jeong presented the following main growth strategies: commercialization of laboratory technologies, business expansion from autonomous driving to robotics, smart infrastructure, and physical AI, securing partnerships and real-world validation cases for global market entry, and establishing mass production capabilities.

Kakao AI Dot is a private cooperative initiative launched by Kakao Group earlier this year with the aim of fostering the AI ecosystem in non-metropolitan regions. Working with the four major Institutes of Science and Technology in Korea—KAIST, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (GIST), Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology (DGIST), and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)—the goal is to discover 100 AI startup teams by 2030 and nurture them into innovative companies with global competitiveness.

CEO Jeong graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at GIST and founded SOS Lab in Gwangju in 2016 together with fellow alumni. By applying LiDAR technology developed in the lab to various industries, they expanded their business and achieved a listing on KOSDAQ in 2024.

Currently, the company continues to focus on technology development and business expansion so that domestically developed LiDAR can become a technology and product sought after by global enterprises. As President of the Korea Association for AI-Industry-University Research Cooperation, CEO Jeong is also working to promote the ecosystem for physical AI and the robotics industry. He is involved in mentoring aspiring entrepreneurs and contributing to the development of the regional startup ecosystem.

This event also served as an opportunity to expand networking among companies. Major players in autonomous driving, mobility, and AI—including Kakao Mobility, Google, Amazon, Kakao AI, Rebellion, and OpenAI—participated in the event.

SOS Lab plans to use the event to strengthen exchanges with promising entrepreneurs and participating companies, to share ideas on technology and market trends, and to explore potential business collaboration opportunities moving forward.

CEO Jiseong Jeong stated, "SOS Lab is a company that has grown through innovative ideas, technological prowess, and by leveraging local industry-academia collaboration and support. I hope this event will serve as an opportunity to share our growth experiences and know-how, and offer a vision to future leaders."

He added, "Going forward, I will continue to support the vitalization of Korea's startup ecosystem and the birth of innovative companies through such exchanges. As a senior entrepreneur, I will work to pioneer new paths and support the challenges of the next generation of entrepreneurs."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.