Samsung NEXT first began as a small operation with a mission to create breakout software and services and foster a startup culture at Samsung. Deeply rooted in startup ecosystems around the world, Samsung NEXT has evolved into a global organization of entrepreneurs, engineers, investors, strategists and business development leaders all working to realize its vision in close partnership with innovators everywhere.

“Since we started, our focus has been on identifying talented entrepreneurs and accelerating their development into groundbreaking startups — whether in Silicon Valley, New York, Tel Aviv or beyond,” said David Eun, President of Samsung NEXT.  “In addition to capital and access to diverse expertise, we provide a proven pathway to Samsung’s global reach of consumer electronics, partners and vast resources. The best innovators deserve and will increasingly require this type of specialized support to create leading software and services now and in the future.”

Continuing its dedication to entrepreneurs and startups, Samsung NEXT will partner with tech innovators around the world and empower them with the tools and resources they need for accelerated business growth and success. In addition to funding and resources along with workspaces and domain expertise, Samsung NEXT’s support includes growth opportunities, mergers and acquisitions and partnerships to enrich consumer experiences across Samsung’s increasingly connected displays and devices.

A Rebrand Focused on Clarity of Vision

Taking a key step in line with its vision, Samsung NEXT also announced at CES  the creation of the Samsung NEXT Fund, a $150 million venture capital investment fund, to increase Samsung’s global support of early stage startups pursuing advanced software and services innovation.

To coincide with the launch of the Fund, Samsung NEXT unveiled its rebrand – to simplify its identity and clarify its vision – with the release of a new logo and website.

“The new name resonates with our passion and dedication for partnering with tech innovators to take them to the NEXT level,” explained Sayo Martin, Head of Marketing at Samsung NEXT.  “The new logo—represented by an arrow (symbolizing innovation) moving forward through open gates (Samsung)—reflects our mission to turn great ideas into products, grow products into thriving businesses, and scale businesses that leverage and transform the Samsung ecosystem.”

What’s Next for Samsung NEXT?

Samsung NEXT has completed over 50 investments, 15 of which are new investments made under the Samsung NEXT Fund. It will continue to expand in its support for tech innovators around the world across the areas of VR, Connected Cars/Autonomous Driving, Security, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Mobile Commerce and other new frontier technologies.

“Leading tech entrepreneurs have a genuine passion for tackling complex problems with incredible speed and agility,” said Eun. “For Samsung to continue evolving and innovating, we believe integrating the best of startup culture into our cultural DNA is essential.”

Please stay tuned for more updates ahead.

Samsung has always strived to inspire the world and create the future, and Samsung Global Innovation Center (GIC) has been at the forefront of the company’s support for innovation since its launch in 2013. CES 2017 will see the beginning of the next era, as the new name for GIC will be unveiled as Samsung NEXT.

Continuing its dedication to entrepreneurs and startups, Samsung NEXT will partner with tech innovators around the world and empower them with whatever they need to go further, faster. And for the first time at CES 2017 Eureka Startup Park, Samsung NEXT will showcase companies in its portfolio that are pushing boundaries with new frontier technologies and innovative solutions.

Lotik

Lotik uses non-intrusive wireless water sensors, point-of-use water monitoring, and metering to track usage and detect plumbing risks before they happen. It helps save water and increases water usage transparency.

UniKey

UniKey was built with the aspiration of revolutionizing the humble key. Now UniKey is the world’s most powerful access control platform. The company deploys access control products on a proven, scaled and secure platform.

Baobab Studios

Baobab Studios is an animation company that creates compelling stories, believable characters, immersive worlds, beautiful art, and high-quality animation all through Virtual Reality. Co-founder, Maureen Fan was named one of Ad Age’s “Top 50 Creative People of the Year” in 2016, and one of the “Top 20 Female Entrepreneurs to Watch in 2017” by CIO.

BioBeats

BioBeats is a family of wellbeing and coaching products that help users to manage their health and productivity. It uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to create simple enterprise and personal wellness solutions.

Filament

Filament helps companies become fully fledged connected businesses, with physical assets they can control and monitor digitally. It helps companies roll out sensors across an IoT network – all without the need for Wi-Fi or cellular connectivity.

Mapzen

Mapzen is an open, sustainable, and accessible platform for using maps in any type of application including automotive, AR, VR, and games. It lets users display, search, and navigate the world.

Otto Radio

Otto Radio curates spoken content such as podcasts from over 35,000 shows and news from over 1,000 sources based on the user’s interests.

Branch

Branch is a powerful infrastructure built for mobile app developers and marketers and used by some of the world’s leading tech, media and consumer brands. With the company’s deep linking technology and personalized app experiences, it helps increase mobile conversion, retention, and engagement by connecting users to relevant app content.

LiquidSky Software

LiquidSky enables high-performance gaming on any device – whether it’s an Android, Windows, Mac or Linux machine. Gamers access a top-end gaming PC using proprietary cloud and streaming technology that delivers low latency and high performance graphics.

Along with the showcase of these outstanding companies, Samsung also announced the creation of the Samsung NEXT Fund – a $150M venture capital investment fund to increase Samsung’s global support of startups. The Fund enables Samsung to further build upon its multi-stage global innovation platform and empower tech entrepreneurs with funding, resources and deep-domain expertise. Through this virtuous cycle, Samsung NEXT will continue to build, grow and scale startups worldwide and empower entrepreneurs to reach the next level.

“We see software and services becoming a core part of Samsung Electronics’ DNA, and startups are key to achieving this vision,” said David Eun, President and Founder of Samsung NEXT. “Samsung continues to embrace entrepreneurship at all levels and this Fund shows our unwavering commitment to support great startups worldwide.”

The Fund targets pre-Seed to Series B investments with a focus on virtual reality, artificial intelligence, IoT and other new frontier technologies.  Companies that have received capital from the Fund so far include: Converge Industries, Dashbot, Entry Point VR, Filament, Intezer, LiquidSky, Otto Radio, 2Sens, SafeDK and Virtru.

“Our investments bring the power of the Samsung platform to startups to accelerate their growth and ultimately their success,” said Brendon Kim, VP and Managing Director of Samsung NEXT Ventures. “The Samsung NEXT Fund expands our global reach and capabilities, while increasing Samsung’s access to more great ideas, products and talent.”

In September, Samsung NEXT launched its newest office in Tel Aviv (Samsung NEXT Tel Aviv). The new location is the fifth for the organization, which currently has teams in Mountain View, New York, San Francisco and Korea. Samsung NEXT will open additional locations in 2017.

“We’re very passionate about partnering with startups and developing meaningful relationships in startup ecosystems around the world,” said Emily Becher, Managing Director of Samsung NEXT Start and head of Samsung NEXT’s international expansion. “We leverage local experts to fuel traction and drive scale for startups right where they are.”

To coincide with Samsung NEXT’s international expansion and launch of the Fund, the company has initiated its first major rebrand effort which includes the renaming of its organization to “Samsung NEXT” and the release of a new logo and website. With the rebrand, the company’s goal is to simplify its identity and clarify its message and mission.

For the first time, at CES 2017 Eureka Park, Samsung NEXT will be showcasing startups from its investment portfolio that are pushing boundaries with new frontier technologies and innovative solutions. Visit Eureka Park booth: #50231 to meet founders and demo these unique products.

• Baobab Studios – VR animation. baobabstudios.com
• BioBeats – AI and digital health. biobeats.com
• Branch –  Mobile data linking. branch.io
• Filament –  IOT. filament.com
• LiquidSky – Ultra low-latency cloud computing and gaming.  liquidsky.tv
• Lotik – Wireless water intelligence. lotik.io
• Mapzen – Open source mapping services. mapzen.com
• Otto Radio – Curates news and podcasts with the push of a button. ottoradio.com
• UniKey –  Alternative access control. unikey.com

For more information, visit: SamsungNEXT.com and connect on social media: @SamsungNEXT.

About Samsung NEXT

Samsung NEXT partners with innovators around the world to build ideas into products, grow products into businesses and scale business that leverage and transform Samsung’s ecosystem. samsungnext.com.