Samsung Brings Its Startup Factory to CES 2026

As CES increasingly becomes a proving ground for real-world technology, not just flashy prototypes, Samsung Electronics is using the 2026 edition of the show to make a broader point: its startup pipeline is no longer peripheral to its innovation strategy.

At CES 2026, running January 6–9 in Las Vegas, Samsung will showcase projects backed by its C-Lab incubation programme, spanning artificial intelligence, robotics, and digital health. The company will host a dedicated C-Lab exhibition space at Eureka Park in the Venetian Expo, positioning its startups squarely within the global startup spotlight.

“Samsung supports C-Lab startups through CES as a platform to validate innovative technologies and build momentum for global growth,” said Byoung Chul Lee, Vice President and Head of the Creativity & Innovation Center, Samsung Electronics. “This year, expanded participation from regional startups highlights the continued evolution of the C-Lab ecosystem.”

From Internal Ideas to Global Market Tests

Samsung’s C-Lab initiative, launched in 2012, has incubated 959 projects and startups to date. CES has become a recurring checkpoint for this ecosystem, especially for ventures graduating from experimentation into market readiness.

This year, 15 startups will participate under the C-Lab banner. The lineup includes eight startups incubated through C-Lab Outside, four supported by Samsung Financial Networks, two internal ventures from C-Lab Inside, and one jointly incubated project with the Daegu Creative Economy Innovation Center.

The common thread across these companies is applied technology tools designed to be deployed, tested, and scaled, rather than conceptual demonstrations.

Regional Startups Step Into the Global Arena

One of the more notable shifts in this year’s cohort is the strong presence of regional startups. Since 2023, Samsung has expanded C-Lab Outside beyond Seoul into Daegu, Gwangju, and the Gyeongbuk province, offering workspace, consulting, and collaboration opportunities without forcing relocation.

At CES 2026, seven startups from these regions will exhibit the largest such participation to date. Among them is Repla, a plastic recycling startup from Gyeongbuk, which received a CES 2026 Innovation Award for its Puri-Checker, a device that analyses plastic composition ratios.

“For a regional startup, collaborating with a global company like Samsung has been a valuable opportunity,” said Dong-eun Seo, CEO, Repla. “Plastic recycling is a global challenge, and CES provides an important platform to explore international market opportunities.”

Other participating regional startups are working on AI-based mental care solutions, digital scent technology, on-device multimodal language models, enterprise AI video platforms, and AI-powered diagnostics for pets.

AI Takes Center Stage Across Use Cases

Artificial intelligence cuts across nearly every C-Lab showcase this year. From automated multilingual dubbing and expressive voice synthesis to cyber risk modelling and real-time fraud detection, the emphasis is on systems designed for continuous use in enterprise and consumer settings.

Samsung will also exhibit two internal AI-driven ventures from C-Lab Inside—ChronoMix, focused on object-centric video composition, and EZ Reco, a generative AI-based electronics recommendation platform. Both projects are being tested for global scalability and commercial viability through CES exposure.

Financial Affiliates Join the Innovation Fold

For the first time, four startups from Samsung Financial C-Lab Outside will participate at CES. These ventures—backed by Samsung Life Insurance, Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance, Samsung Card, and Samsung Securities—span areas such as copyright-cleared datasets, cyber risk quantification, biometric identity verification, and on-device scam detection.

Their inclusion reflects how Samsung’s open innovation model is extending beyond electronics into financial and data-driven services, using CES as a neutral ground for global collaboration.

Recognition Reinforces the Model

Capping off the showcase, C-Lab startups have secured 17 CES 2026 Innovation Awards, including two Best of Innovation honours. Both recipients, MangoSlab and StudioLab, originated as internal C-Lab projects before spinning off as independent companies.

The wins reinforce Samsung’s approach of blending internal experimentation with external market validation, a strategy that continues to evolve as CES shifts from spectacle to substance.