[Edaily Reporter Yun Junghoon ]SKTelecom(017670)is significantly strengthening its collaboration with promising startups and accelerating the expansion of its ecosystem to foster shared growth in the AI era. The plan is to combine the large corporation’s robust infrastructure and marketing capabilities with the startups’ flexible, innovative technologies to generate tangible business results.

SKT announced that CEO Jeong Jae-heon held a roundtable discussion with eight startup CEOs on the 16th at SKT Tower in Jung-gu, Seoul, to listen to their challenges and discuss ways to strengthen mutually beneficial cooperation.

This roundtable was organized to directly hear feedback from the field regarding startup incubation and joint project initiatives, and to maximize mutual synergy. CEO Jeong has been maintaining ongoing communication with startups, following an on-site meeting at “MWC 2026” last March.

SKT staff currently working on joint projects with these startups also attended the event to share practical collaboration models between large corporations and startups, as well as examples of synergy creation.

Kim Song-hyun, CEO of Sierra Base—which developed a drone-based AI infrastructure safety inspection solution—stated, “We are collaborating with SKT in the field of small autonomous drones to automate safety inspections of communication towers, which previously required people to climb them manually.” He added, “We are achieving results not only in technological advancement but also in identifying viable business models (BMs).”

In response, CEO Jeong Jae-heon promised active support, stating, “By combining startups’ innovative ideas with KTCorporation’s AI infrastructure and marketing capabilities, we can create new business opportunities in the AI era.”

SKT has further enhanced its startup discovery program, which has been running since 2013. Through “SKTCH,” a dedicated platform for startup collaboration, the company provides comprehensive support including △ expert mentoring △ connections to SKT’s operational teams and commercialization △ participation in domestic and international exhibitions △ and investment attraction. SKT aims to foster a total of 500 innovative startups over the next five years, through 2030, to grow together with them.

CEO Jeong stated, “By combining the strengths of startups—their technology and ideas—with SKT’s AI, infrastructure, and marketing capabilities, we can create new business opportunities and value in the AI era.”