DigiMedia Technology
ADDRESS 6F-1, 14, Shiwei S1
S1SanChung City, Taiwan
PHONE 886/2-8287-3348
URL www.digimedia.com.tw
FOUNDED 1997
CEO Eade Wang
EMPLOYEES 278
FUNDING $23.44 million, 3 rounds
KEY INVESTORS Kolin, Chip Mos, Tai-Yi, Sino Pac, Maxima Fund
DigiMedia Technology designs and manufactures LCD TV applications and related digital and audio-video products. It’s hoping to make inroads into the American market by gaining an early mover’s advantage, and through collaborations with well-known brands including Sharp Electronics in the United States, Mitsui in Japan, and Kolin in other Asian countries. The company says it wants to cultivate loyalty by offering low prices, high quality, and strong customer support. DigiMedia is expanding beyond Asia, the U.S., and Latin America to European and Australian markets. With many competing technologies on the market, DigiMedia could lose big if another format catches on.
gEco Holdings
ADDRESS 1-3-5-207 Odaiba, Minato-ku
Tokyo, Japan 135-0091
PHONE 81/90-4810-4507
URL www.gEcoh.com
FOUNDED 2001
CEO Tei A. Gordon
EMPLOYEES 9
FUNDING N/A
KEY INVESTORS Founders
gEco Holdings commercializes environmentally friendly microtechnologies, such as micro air conditioners for car engines and a desalinization device to turn seawater into drinking water. The company targets technologies developed by universities, research institutes, and private companies that don’t have the business know-how to launch products on their own. Its specialty has been cross-border market entries in Japan and the United States. gEco is profitable, with customers including Delphi, Toshiba, and Hitachi, among others. But the market for clean microtechnologies is still young and unestablished, and the products will initially cost more than competitors’.
Mostitech
ADDRESSSoobokBuilding, 2nd Floor #1631-5
Seocho dong, Seocho gu, Seoul, South Korea 137-879
PHONE 82/2-3-472-9981
URL www.mostitech.com
FOUNDED 2001
CEO Sanghoon Park
EMPLOYEES 12
FUNDING $540,000
KEYINVESTORSSanghoonPark
South Korea has emerged as a hotbed of robotics innovations, with the government pledging money to speed up research and development in the area. Mostitech has grabbed international attention with its home-service robot, Seri. Seri can detect burglars, fires, and gas leaks by snapping and sending photos to the homeowner’s cell phone. SK Telecom rolled out the $850, three-wheeled Seri last year as part of its services. The personal robot business is seen as a hot, growing market, but robots’ retail prices still put them beyond the reach of average consumers.
Suntech Power
ADDRESS 17-6 Chang Jiang South Rd. New District
Wuxi, Jiang Su, China 214028
PHONE 86/510-5345000
URL www.suntech-power.com
FOUNDED 2001
CEO Zhengrong Shi
EMPLOYEES 1,010
FUNDING $90 million
KEY INVESTORS N/A
Suntech Power has been producing solar cells, modules, and systems since August 2002, and has been profitable since 2003. The company says its solar photovoltaic wafers are thinner, which leads to more efficient solar cells at lower production costs. Its revenues were nearly $100 million last year, with customers including SolarWorld, IBC Solar, and Conergy. Suntech expects to have 100 megawatts of production capacity by the end of the year. But it faces plenty of competition in the rapidly growing field, including Sharp, Kyocera, and BP Solar, among others.