[Executive Corner] Innovation Partner for Future Mobility
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By News Reporter
With an unwavering policy of open innovation with startups around the world, LG has been fostering businesses outside its own to better prepare for the future. These big-picture efforts are centered on LG NOVA, the company’s North American Innovation Center in California’s Silicon Valley – known worldwide as the hub of startups.
Established in 2021, LG NOVA aspires to form a collaborative ecosystem that accelerates the growth of new ideas by working closely with startups on new businesses that can enhance LG’s future readiness.
LG NOVA aligns with LG CEO William Cho’s growth strategy of 3B – Build, Buy and Borrow – to strengthen the company’s future growth engine by embracing talent and technology through exchanges with various innovative companies.
Let’s look at how this essential innovation center works with its partners to bring about groundbreaking advancements. Furthermore, we’ll explore how it is establishing a community dedicated to creating and nuturing businesses that contribute positively to the future of our world.
Discovering Global Startups to Break New Ground in Healthcare
LG NOVA’s “Mission for the Future” program, now in its fourth year, is designed to discover and nurture innovative global startups seeking to improve people’s quality of life in a greener, smarter and more-connected future.
In its first three years, LG NOVA received over 4,000 submissions from innovative global startups, with more than 100 companies selected to explore joint business opportunities with LG.
This year is an especially important one, as this month, LG NOVA unveiled its first new venture, “Primefocus Health,” with Darren Sabo, previously head of commercialization of new health ventures at LG NOVA, at the helm as the CEO. Sabo has a wealth of experience in new business development, making him the perfect candidate to take this digital health venture forward.
(From left to right) Darren Sabo, CEO of Primefocus Health, and Sokwoo Rhee, Head of LG NOVA and SVP of Innovation for LG Electronics
Primefocus Health is committed to easing the journey from hospital to home for patients. It leverages cutting-edge technologies and novel healthcare treatments through a platform designed to offer patients access to a personalized care plan. This plan, curated by their healthcare provider, aids in the recovery from chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.
This healthcare platform also offers providers access to patient data and information, enabling them to assist, guide, communicate and intervene as necessary during the patient’s home recovery. The platform aims to facilitate remote patient monitoring, providing real-time biometric information that can be integrated into the provider’s electronic health record systems.
LG NOVA is collaborating with more healthcare startups through the Mission for the Future program, including
link hidden, please login to view, which integrates immersive VR/AR technology to provide comprehensive therapeutic care for remote medical treatment, and , a sensor-based technology platform that utilizes the cameras in personal devices to virtually capture health readings to enhance diagnosis and treatment effectiveness.
Another example that demonstrates LG NOVA’s focus on digital health is , a virtual care platform to treat polychronic mental and physical illness that was selected during the 2021 Mission for the Future challenge. This solution leverages AI to harness clinical, genetic, gut microbiome, food and behavioral signals to target the root cause of illness.
LG NOVA plans to continuously launch new businesses through ventures in LG’s future growth areas including digital health, clean tech and AI.
Promoting Symbiotic Growth in West Virginia
This year, LG NOVA is joining hands with West Virginia to revitalize the local economy by fostering future businesses while bringing instances of win-win cooperations to this U.S. state and the dynamic Appalachian region.
The announcement introduced the NOVA West Virginia Investment Fund, which aims to drive USD 700 million into the region over five years through investment.
The decision to invest in West Virginia, which is over 2,000 miles away from LG NOVA in Silicon Valley, stems from the REINVENT LG initiative. Under the leadership of CEO Cho, LG has been carrying out various initiatives to redefine everything from its business structure and brand to the way it works. What makes West Virginia the perfect partner is its similar desire to reinvent itself to revitalize the local economy.
Primefocus Health also plans to work closely in the Mountain State.
Increasing Funds to Foster Potential Startups
LG NOVA is also significantly expanding the scale of its investment and speeding up its investments for the future. In 2023, it signed an agreement with Clearbrook, a global venture investment company, to expand the global startup development fund – NOVA Prime Fund.
Through collaborating with external experts to identify the latest technology trends, discover more innovative companies and offer comprehensive support, the company hopes to accelerate the growth of startups and discover opportunities for collaborations across various business areas.
A Talent Acquisition Outpost that Competes with Big Tech
LG NOVA also serves as an outpost to secure the best talent in Silicon Valley, an area dominated by big tech companies. By accurately reading future industrial trends and executing effectively, LG NOVA will be able to move one step ahead of the competition. At the same time, their challenging and brave attitude toward innovation will give a boost to the overall organizational culture.
Dr. Sokwoo Rhee, head of LG NOVA, is the perfect example of this. After founding an IoT startup, Rhee went on to serve in the U.S. government, as assistant director for Cyber-Physical Systems at the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology and Presidential Innovation Fellow at the White House.
(From left to right) Joshua Di Frances, the leader of LG NOVA’s incubation office, and Darren Sabo, CEO of Primefocus Health
Joshua Di Frances, the leader of LG NOVA’s incubation office, is another key executive with experience across various areas including medicine, business and the public sector. Di Frances studied neuroscience at Boston University, an MBA from MIT and built an impressive career at CVS Health and the White House. Since joining LG NOVA in 2021, he is working to build new businesses in digital health, cleantech and immersive/AI future technology with his team of entrepreneurs-in-residence.
And, with the recent global boom in startups among AI engineering students, LG NOVA has been hosting the ‘Innovation Festival’ every fall to provide a space where innovative companies and investors can exchange information and expand.
LG NOVA will continue to seek out innovation from outside LG. To learn more about LG NOVA and its efforts to build, nurture and grow future-defining innovations, visit .
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[Executive Corner] Orchestrating “Affectionate Intelligence” With AI Processors Exclusive to LG OLEDBy News Reporter
Imagine a TV that not only delivers your favorite shows in incredible picture quality but also connects with you on a deeper level. That concept is no longer bound to imagination, as LG’s latest TVs are capable of understanding what you want and need, tailoring every moment you spend with it through ‘Affectionate Intelligence.’ This is the essence of LG’s unwavering commitment to crafting empathetic algorithms through three decades of technological innovation. This ethos seamlessly extends to the development of its AI chipsets, which are designed to foster more meaningful TV interactions.
As a testament to this dedication, LG’s Alpha AI processor, engineered exclusively for its OLED TVs, made its global debut a decade ago as one of the biggest breakthroughs in TV processing technology history. This AI-powered processor is constantly evolving based on customer feedback, which guarantees a TV experience that only gets better with time.
Amidst the widespread adoption of OLED panels, LG OLED TVs set themselves apart courtesy of the first OLED-dedicated AI processor. This processor leverages advanced algorithms and cutting-edge upscaling technology to unlock uncharted levels of picture quality within LG OLED TVs.
Various processing technologies continue to evolve with AI, notably showcasing significant performance enhancements in the Neural Processing Unit (NPU) – essential for affectionate intelligence – with a remarkable surge of 400 percent. LG’s latest OLED evo TVs1 are equipped with the new α (Alpha) 11 AI processor which boosts processing speeds by 30 percent compared to its predecessor.
What’s more, LG’s premium AI processing technology has expanded to LG QNED TVs, taking the performance of its high-end LCD TV lineup to new levels. LG QNED TVs feature the Alpha 8 AI processor to achieve a 1.3-fold increase in AI performance and 1.6-fold increase in processing speed compared to its predecessor. These remarkable advancements come together to form a powerful yet refined audiovisual experience that heightens the audience’s sense of immersion.
At the core of LG’s AI TVs lies a deep understanding of the user’s preferences, habits and desires. Seeking to enrich the home entertainment experience with versatile personalization and added convenience, the latest LG AI TVs can recognize voices based on unique webOS profiles, making it easier to deliver personalized recommendations based on their personal viewing history.
This user-centric approach lets users access their favorite or most-used content and services in an instant, while Picture Wizard works to tailor picture quality to their preferences to foster a deeper understanding and connection. Picture Wizard lets users pick from a range of image options, so that they can fine-tune images to their liking and receive greater viewing satisfaction without having to learn everything there is to know about technical aspects such as brightness, contrast or sharpness.
With sound quality now deemed just as important as image quality in completing the viewing experience, AI processing technologies have been evolving to help the TV’s audio performance catch up. AI Sound Pro offers richer and fuller audio while the LG TV’s built-in speakers produce virtual 11.1.2 surround sound to heighten immersion. The AI can even enhance dialogue clarity by separating vocals from the soundtrack, making it seem like sounds are emanating naturally from the screen’s center. Moreover, WOW Orchestra creates three-dimensional audio which works in unison with the TV’s built-in speakers and compatible LG soundbars, creating a unified sound together.
LG’s focus on the webOS smart TV platform, which powers over 200 million smart TVs, is clear for everyone to see. webOS enriches everyday life experiences with versatile personalization and enhanced convenience in the form of individual profiles, voice recognition and recommendations based on viewing history. With its extensive user base, LG is set to maintain a strong presence in targeted advertising, FAST and content streaming services.
Lastly, the webOS Re:New program2 offers the latest webOS upgrade to existing LG Smart TV owners to guarantee the most up-to-date TV experience for the next five years. That means consumers purchasing an LG OLED TV or LG QNED TV launched in 2024 can benefit from the latest webOS platform until 2028.
To explore the various efforts the LG Home Entertainment Company is making to curate life-enriching experiences for every kind of user, stay tuned to the
link hidden, please login to view. By Jung Jae-chul, home entertainment research and development lab leader of HE R&D Lab at LG Electronics
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1 LG OLED evo M4 and G4 models.
2 Pop-up notifications offering a full upgrade without the need to select specific UX, UI or features are only sent to customers who have agreed to receive them. Please note that this upgrade does not cover the TV’s hardware performance, features or durability.
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By News Reporter
LG remains steadfast in its commitment to actively nurture ideas with the potential to fuel the company’s future growth. By fostering a corporate culture that not only encourages challenges but also embraces failures as stepping stones to success, LG aims to embody the principles that have been at the heart of CEO William Cho’s leadership philosophy since his tenure began. CEO Cho consistently champions the ‘Brave Optimist’ mindset, inspiring everyone to boldly undertake challenges and relentlessly innovate, anchored in the belief that the customer is always the key to unlocking solutions.
A prime embodiment of this ethos is ‘STUDIO341,’ an initiative launched by LG last year. This program is designed to identify and cultivate in-house ventures that encapsulate the spirit of challenge and innovation, a mindset that has been instrumental in propelling LG from its humble beginnings as Goldstar in 1958 to its current status as a global leader in home appliances. The ‘341’ in ‘STUDIO341’ serves as a poignant reminder for LG’s ‘Brave Optimists’ to stay true to the company’s roots, symbolizing the original street address of Goldstar in Busan, Korea’s second-largest city.
The initiative welcomed anyone with a creative idea that can solve a problem worth solving and provide a new experience to customers. The response was impressive, with over 100 internal submissions received.
In the previous year, LG shortlisted the top thirteen ideas – one more than the originally intended twelve – which were further narrowed down to six during an internal IR event. This process involved evaluating the ideas based on their potential to provide unique customer experiences. The selection criteria encompassed business value, feasibility, potential impact and team capabilities.
The chosen teams were relocated to an external office to be able to fully immerse themselves in developing their in-house venture ideas. By March 2024, the top six teams had the opportunity to present their business proposals at the ‘STUDIO341 Demo Day’ in Seoul, in front of LG executives and potential investors.
After thorough deliberation, the top five teams selected for spinoff were unveiled: ‘MASKIT,’ a mobile ticketing and admission service for performing arts that removes the necessity for queuing; ‘FreshGo,’ an original cold chain transportation solution that leverages individual refrigeration technology; ‘Cucumber,’ a platform focused on local food pickup services; ‘Found Objet,’ a digital transaction platform for recycled plastic materials; and ‘X-UP,’ a solution for diagnosing and maintaining golf courses using robots and heat mapping technology.
Meanwhile, LG partnered with Bluepoint, a partnership-driven Korean startup accelerator, to leverage their ability to objectively assess the teams’ capabilities and provide more effective support. This approach has helped streamline the whole process to a year, with six months for selection and six months for development. During the process, each team will receive a joint investment from LG and Bluepoint up to a maximum of KRW 400 million.
In parallel, LG is intensifying its collaboration with global startups, as exemplified by its partnership with Amwell, a U.S. telemedicine company, to provide remote medical treatment solutions across North America. The company also aims to evaluate the viability of services in prevention, diagnosis, post-management and recovery, among others.
LG NOVA, LG’s North America Center for Innovation, launched its “Mission For the Future” by presenting the Eureka Park showcase at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. It also leveraged its influence to introduce startups operating in the digital healthcare field, such as XR Health, Mindset Medical and C.Light Technologies.
Stay tuned to
link hidden, please login to view to see how else the company is revolutionizing the customer experience for all. # # #
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By News Reporter
From the best restaurants to the most expansive and complex warehouses, service and industrial robots are reshaping countless industries through impactful and groundbreaking advancements that bring the autonomous future a step closer. Enhanced efficiency, productivity and cost savings are just a few advantages of service and industrial robots.
In line with this, LG recently
link hidden, please login to view as it doubles down on its commitment to advancing the capabilities of its service robotics, one of the company’s most promising business areas.
After a number of years innovating the robotics space, the lineup has evolved into ‘your best partner’ with a wide range of solutions that include LG CLOi ServeBot, LG CLOi GuideBot and LG CLOi CarryBot, powered by AI technology.
’s independent suspension is implemented to all six wheels to ensure stable maneuverability across uneven floors. This enables the CLOi ServeBot to securely transport beverages and meals, including soups and noodles, even when travelling over surfaces with a slope of up to 5 millimeters (0.2 inches). And fully equipped with a LiDAR sensor and 3D camera, this technology lets the CLOi ServeBot navigate obstacles smoothly, ensuring that none of its valuable “cargo” is upset.
Offering next-level convenience to restaurant owners, LG CLOi ServeBot runs for 11 hours on a full charge and can be charged both automatically and manually. The latest model offers even more services, which means it can now carry out its serving duties and assist business owners with various tasks.
With its expanded tray size, the latest LG CLOi ServeBot now holds up to 40 kilograms, enabling it to transport all the dishes needed for western cuisine, which typically uses heavy tableware, or Korean cuisine, which comprises several side dishes. Extremely adaptable, the advanced robot’s trays can be completely removed or height adjusted to match different environments or applications. It even knows when the customer has picked up their plate so it can head straight back to the kitchen. On the other hand, if the tray is left full of tableware, then it automatically returns to its designated area.
LG CLOi ServeBot also provides entertainment including a CMS (Content Management System) that lets users upload content via their mobile device. Through its 10-inch display, customers waiting to be seated are shown the menu and entertaining videos to be pass the time. Additionally, android apps can be installed according to preference.
Going beyond its service robots, LG is proactively responding to the increasing need for robots in industrial settings with robotic innovations that boost productivity and quality in the manufacturing process. The company provides a variety of solutions that can be used to automate the warehouse.
LG unveiled its latest industrial robots at MODEX 2024, the largest supply chain logistics trade show in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This included the new LG CLOi CarryBot family of Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMR), which are specially designed to navigate complex floor plans and deliver payloads in customizable configurations.
LG showcased two versions of LG CLOi CarryBot: a featuring two shelves which is ideal for smaller packages and navigating tight spaces, and a capable of carrying heavy loads on its back. This practical machine can quickly transport goods in large logistics sites at speeds of up to 1.2 meters per second, while providing stable driving by applying ‘Fast-X,’ LG’s autonomous driving technology optimized for logistics environments, including average driving and curve speed as well as acceleration and deceleration control.
In fact, the company has innovated a number of solutions to enhance factory efficiency. ‘Mobile Manipulator’ an autonomous driving-based vertical articulated robot that mimics human arm movements. Unlike conventional robots that usually carry out the same task repeatedly, Mobile Manipulators move around production lines and carry out various tasks such as transportation, product assembly and inspection. Another solution is LG’s low-floor AMRs, industrial logistics robots that can carry 500 kilograms from A to B with very little assistance, which not only makes production efficient but safe too.
To learn how LG is continuing to drive the commercialization of robotics in the real world while expanding its B2B businesses, stay tuned to .
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By News Reporter
For consumers, it’s the ‘experience’ that counts.
link hidden, please login to view, 73 percent of all customers place experience near the top of their checklist when making purchasing decisions, following only price and product quality in order of importance. LG, a company that strives to ensure that ‘Life’s Good’ for all, has prioritized the art of providing F.U.N. – first, unique and new – core values for customers.
To successfully deliver the types of experiences that customers desire, LG first had to make sure that all parts of the organization were aligned and properly equipped for the task at hand. In 2024, new CX performance management system is applied to the entire executive organization structure – not just Korean executives at the company’s headquarters but global executives and employees in charge of sales, manufacturing and management – with a view to adding CX to other crucial measurements of overall business performance, such as sales and operating profit.
The data from the CX indicator is analyzed to assess the various teams involved and to instill a ‘customer-first’ mindset throughout the entire company. The definition of ‘customer’ in this equation is not limited to end-users, but includes business partners and relevant internal departments as well.
The company made meaningful changes by promoting various customer value innovation activities. However, it was identified that a process was needed to properly evaluate business performance as well as reward the achievement of increased levels of customer satisfaction.
Accordingly, starting from this year, all LG Electronics executives will be evaluated based on the level of customer satisfaction within the organizations under their purview, and also on whether or not they have achieved their allotted tasks. Customer satisfaction is graded based on LG’s in-house-developed measurement tool, which quantifies the satisfaction level of LG customers during each stage of the customer experience journey.
Now, each organization is charged with the mission of determining how it will go about innovating target customers’ experiences. In this way, each unit or team can give in-depth consideration to the important question of “What constitutes a differentiated experience from the customers’ perspective?” and then gauge whether or not a specific CX innovation can be realized.
For teams that don’t work directly with customers, CX tasks can include identifying the relevant customer groups, such as internal departments or suppliers, for a certain aspect or piece of organizational work, and generating appropriate and actionable innovation activities to drive meaningful results. LG strongly believes that customer value innovation is not just the domain of ‘management’ or select customer-facing teams. Rather, it takes a whole company working together to consistently create it, with each person adopting a ‘customer-first’ mindset and seeking to view all pertinent matters from the customer’s perspective.
This belief reflects LG CEO William Cho’s management philosophy, which states that the start and end of all innovation is the customer. Since taking charge of the company at the end of 2021, CEO Cho has continuously emphasized how accelerating customer experience innovation plays a critical role in improving customers’ lives. As a result of his astute direction, and as underscored by LG’s ‘Future Vision 2030’ document and recent brand reinvention, the company is actively expanding its CX innovation initiatives.
To boost the innovation of customer experience, the company has launched a company-wide project calling on all employees to ‘meet’ with customers directly to ‘hear’ their honest feedback and concerns in order to ‘empathize’ with them. As a part of this internal project that focuses on LG’s commitment to advancing CX, executives partook in an ‘on-site’ experience program designed to ensure the implementation of customer-centric management practices and policies. Last year alone, more than 280 LG executives from the Korean headquarters visited key offline sites to see firsthand a broad range of customer contact points and associated activities, including product purchase, phone consultation, rental, delivery and after-service care.
Many of these executives even visited Hi-Tele Service, an LG subsidiary that provides remote customer service. While there, the executives had the valuable opportunity to hear feedback direct from LG customers – giving them insight into how and where the CX might be further improved and refined.
On top of these activities, in order to ‘hear’ from customers, LG hosted seminars where employees could share CX innovation cases as well as programs where they could directly listen to customers’ stories. And, to boost ‘empathy’ for customers, the company is carrying out company-wide activities that enable employees to set their own customer and determine the value they can provide to these customers.
Customer value innovation is not just a task for management or teams that work directly with customers. It is the job of everyone at LG to make meaningful changes by rethinking and differentiating everything the company does from the customer’s perspective.
LG is committed to providing differentiated customer value. The company will continue to pursue a customer-centric way of working – one that is based on a detailed understanding of and empathy for its customers.
Not limited to HQ, our system of actively meeting, hearing and empathizing with customers is being put into place in LG offices around the world. In a dedicated series on , we will introduce how various LG teams and subsidiaries are making changes to reinvent CX, so stay tuned.
By Kang Je-nam, director of Customer Value Innovation Division at LG Electronics
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