Kakao said on March 23 it is recruiting companies to participate in the open innovation programme '2026 JCCEI X Kakao Open Ground' with the Jeju Center for Creative Economy and Innovation.

'2026 JCCEI X Kakao Open Ground' is a programme that identifies startups that can link with Kakao and Kakao Group affiliates and provides proof-of-concept (PoC) and opportunities for cooperation on commercialisation. Four affiliates will take part: Kakao, Kakao Mobility, Kakao Entertainment and Kakao Enterprise. The programme will select about 10 startups.

The recruitment covers fields including artificial intelligence (AI) and big data, eco-friendly technology, mobility and autonomous driving, the internet of things (IoT), digital platforms, content and industry-specific software-as-a-service (SaaS).

Kakao will solicit collaboration ideas including advancing AI-based cooling systems linked to data centres, developing beauty products using agricultural byproducts, and developing upcycled goods from waste resources. Kakao Mobility will seek ideas to address mobility issues in the Jeju region and to improve the usability of its global service 'k.ride'.

Kakao Entertainment will solicit ideas linked to business areas including story, music and fandom. Kakao Enterprise will seek collaboration ideas linked to a Kakao Cloud-based AI platform, the design of industry-specific SaaS models, and platform-as-a-service (PaaS).

Selected startups will identify cooperation tasks through business meetups and proceed through proof-of-concept projects. The operating period runs from March to December this year. Detailed schedules and operating methods will be provided to the final selected teams.

Lee Byung-seon (이병선), head of the Jeju centre, said, "We built an open innovation model by expanding cooperation from Kakao to its affiliates." He added, "I hope this will be an opportunity for startups with technology to translate it into commercialisation outcomes."