MATTER and KOSME launch second annual innovation program

Five Korean companies will prepare to launch in the U.S. market

May 19, CHICAGO and SEOUL, Kor. — The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) in collaboration with MATTER, the premier healthcare incubator and innovation hub, has launched the second annual Korean SME U.S. Market Adoption Program aimed at preparing a cohort of Korean healthcare companies for U.S. market success.

Uniquely positioned to help healthcare companies enter the U.S. market, MATTER will provide five Korean small- to medium-sized enterprises with strategic guidance, exposure to potential investors and customers, a cohort of mentors and a year-long membership to MATTER to advance their solutions and prepare for U.S. market entry.

The program will build off last year’s success in which MATTER supported the SMEs with 19 educational workshops to help them navigate the complexities of the U.S. healthcare industry, 105 mentoring sessions with a diverse group of healthcare stakeholders and 48 introductory meetings with potential customers and investors. MATTER also produced multiple showcase events to facilitate SME exposure to the broader MATTER community.

“We want to help Korean entrepreneurs with important healthcare solutions bring their innovations to patients in the U.S.,” said Steven Collens, CEO of MATTER. “Last year’s effort resulted in five terrific solutions advancing in the U.S. and we look forward to helping this year’s group succeed as well.”

Learn more about the 2022 cohort:

AIRS Medical
AIRS Medical has developed an AI-powered MRI acceleration that combines classic parallel imaging algorithms, compressed sensing algorithms and deep learning to produce robust and accurate final reconstruction results, enabling medical professionals with higher scan productivity, fewer motion artifacts and better image quality.

Emocog
Emocog develops a digital therapeutic platform designed to help with cognitive impairment. The platform improves the cognitive ability of patients with mild cognitive impairment, provides offline and AI speaker services to elicit the patient’s behavior or lifestyle changes and collects audio signals from the patient, thereby allowing them to receive attention from all over the world for the treatment of dementia.

RF Medical
RF Medical manufactures electrosurgical devices using radiofrequency. They offer radiofrequency generators for bone metastasis, thyroid nodule ablation, liver cancer, breast cancer and hypertension.

Soundable Health
Soundable Health captures audible biomarkers through smartphones, empowering patients to manage their health. Current focus areas encompass urology and respiratory, enabling patients and their physicians to improve clinical workflow and care processes.

Thyroscope
Thyroscope develops Glandy, a wearable digital therapeutic that monitors the thyroid gland and its complications. The company’s therapeutic detects thyroid dysfunction and thyroid hormone levels using biometric information and heart rate, enabling users to receive a real-time diagnosis without blood tests.

About MATTER

At MATTER, we believe collaboration is the best way to improve healthcare. The MATTER collaborative includes more than 700 current and alumni startups from around the world, working together with dozens of hospitals and health systems, universities and industry-leading companies to build the future of healthcare. Together we are accelerating innovation, advancing care and improving lives. For more information, visit matter.health and follow @MATTERhealth.

About KOSME

The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency (KOSME) has been growing together with SMEs and startups for 42 years with 27 global offices in 17 countries. KOSME is a non-profit, government-funded organization established to implement government policies and programs for the sound growth and development of Korean SMEs.

To achieve its purpose, KOSME operates financial and non-financial programs for SMEs. Through financial programs, KOSME provides financing for SMEs to expand operations, develop new products and convert their business structures. With advisory programs including consulting, training, marketing and global cooperation programs, KOSME supports SMEs to enhance their global competitiveness. KOSME provided $13 billion in financial support to SMEs, fostered the growth of 3,815 startups and the 2021 annual budget was $9.6 billion. For more information, visit KOSME.