Nine South Korean startups competed at DETO 2026, a technology conference in Seoul, this week for a spot in TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 competition at next year's Disrupt conference. Voinosis won the competition.
Voinosis develops AI that analyzes speech patterns including pitch, pauses, rhythm and response times to detect changes in brain health. The voice check takes less than five minutes. In a clinical study with 146 participants, Voinosis claims its technology achieved 88% accuracy in screening for potential cognitive issues. The startup targets hospitals, senior living facilities, insurers and individual consumers. Voinosis founder Grace Shin spent more than 25 years as an otologic surgeon. The company is raising a Series A round and has secured a South Korean pharmaceutical company as a strategic investor.
The other eight finalists work across deep tech sectors including healthcare, fintech, energy, semiconductors and AI. All nine startups plan to enter the U.S. market.
Awesome Lab makes ThermoFlux, a heating system using water electrolysis and ionization. The company says the technology reduces energy consumption and carbon emissions. In the U.S., Awesome Lab plans to supply core OEM modules and work with boiler, water heater and HVAC companies.
Crosshub's platform IDBlock combines identity verification and payment services using Self-Sovereign Identity and zero-knowledge proof for travelers setting up payment methods abroad. DeepFusion AI developed a 4D radar-based imaging system for autonomous mobility, robotaxi, maritime surveillance and defense applications. EFLOW develops motors and actuators for robots, drones and satellites. Otition Medical makes medical devices for measuring body temperature and capturing ear canal images. The company says its AI was trained on 55,000 eardrum images and received medical certification in South Korea.
Riibotics deploys warehouse robots within a day. Ternell, a semiconductor startup, is developing T-SRAM memory to help AI chips use less power. Founded in 2019 by KyungRok Kim, a former Samsung Electronics engineer, Ternell reports 28-nanometer chip tests showed 33% to 102% increase in memory capacity and 55% to 71% reduction in energy consumption compared with conventional SRAM. Testbank develops Solve, an edtech app converting printed study materials into interactive digital versions using AI.