Korea Venture Business Association Picks Cobot System, Zens, Fitin

The Korea Venture Business Association has chosen Cobot System, Zens and Fitin as its "Outstanding Ventures of the Month" for October. The monthly program highlights companies with venture certification that show strong technological innovation and growth potential. This month's picks work in mobility, environment and energy, and each targets an everyday problem.

Wheels that climb, lakes that recover

Cobot System, led by CEO Geun Jong-hyun, developed Miracle Wheel, a wheel module that gets over thresholds, stairs and unpaved surfaces through its structure alone. Round wheels work well on flat ground but tend to stop or tip at an edge. According to the company, Miracle Wheel uses no motors or other powered parts, and no joints or leg-like mechanisms. The company joined the TIPS program in 2024 and won CES 2026 Innovation Awards in two categories. It plans to refine a mass-production design for manual wheelchairs, develop a powered-wheelchair model for older and disabled users, and apply the technology to driving robots.

Zens, led by CEO Ryu Young-geun, builds ecological restoration for lakes and reservoirs. Its photocatalyst material Nanozens breaks down pollutants through oxidation and reduction, while the polymer electrolyte Biozens clumps pollutants and supports microbial activity. Together they reduce bottom sludge and avoid the secondary pollution caused by conventional chemical precipitation. An autonomous vessel linked to real-time monitoring equipment calculates and sprays doses based on pollution levels. Zens began with the Seokchon Lake project in Seoul in 2021, has worked for six years, and has expanded to Jeonju Deokjin Park and the Masan and Cheonmang reservoirs run by the Korea Rural Community Corporation. It also won a CES 2026 Innovation Award. Next come sewage and wastewater treatment, plus overseas work in saline-soil restoration on reclaimed land in the Philippines and low-carbon farming.

Battery swapping for commercial EVs

Fitin, led by CEO Kim Se-kwon, runs energy stations for high-mileage commercial EVs such as electric taxis and cargo vans. Its core product is a battery-swap subscription service: drivers subscribe instead of buying a battery and swap in a charged one rather than waiting to charge. Membership charging, battery management and vehicle maintenance are bundled in, with AI-based energy operations and robotic automation. The first station in Anyang serves 40 electric taxis from four taxi companies, filling its planned capacity. Fitin is building an Incheon station able to swap up to 200 batteries a day, and is developing Station-to-Grid (S2G) technology that uses stored batteries like an energy storage system, storing power when demand is low and using it at peak times or feeding it to the grid.

An association official said venture innovation begins not only with grand technology but also with solving small everyday inconveniences through new technology and business models, and that the group will keep identifying and promoting outstanding ventures.