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KIST Accelerates U.S. Expansion of Quantum Deep-Tech Startups Through SelectUSA 2026

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SEOUL, South Korea, May 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) President Oh Sang-rok announced that it will participate in the SelectUSA Investment Summit 2026 as part of a Korean delegation, together with quantum technology startups supported by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups under the Deeptech Project (DIPS).

The initiative, supported by South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS), is part of the government’s “Deeptech Incubator Project for Startups” (DIPS) initiative, which aims to nurture globally competitive deep-tech ventures.

KIST, which serves as the lead institution for the quantum technology sector under the program, said it will oversee the global commercialization efforts of participating firms. In particular, the “Global Bridge Program,” jointly developed with the U.S. Embassy in Korea in September 2025, is an official program designed to generate tangible overseas expansion outcomes by linking investment attraction with local market entry through diplomatic channels.

Organized by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the SelectUSA Investment Summit is the largest investment promotion event in the US, connecting international startups with venture capital firms, corporate investors and state-level economic development agencies.

It serves as an execution-oriented platform that extends to investment, corporate establishment, site selection, and tax incentives, and is considered a key entry gateway for deep-tech companies, including those in quantum technology.

KIST said participation in the summit is particularly significant for deep-tech sectors such as quantum technology, where access to the US innovation ecosystem is seen as key to growth.

The program is conducted in two stages. From April 30 to May 1, companies took part in a spin-off program hosted by the State of Maryland, which included visits to research institutions and tours of the regional quantum technology ecosystem.

During this period, the delegation also conducted localized activities with the Maryland state government and its economic development agencies, focusing on investment attraction, corporate collaboration, and joint R&D. In addition, on May 5, the delegation held discussions with U.S. Department of Commerce Deputy Secretary William Kimmitt on potential areas of cooperation.

The delegation will also meet officials from Fairfax County Government to explore collaboration and investment opportunities.

The main summit, currently ongoing from May 3 to May 6, features exhibitions, pitching sessions and meetings with US state representatives, with participating firms expected to engage in discussions on investment and market entry.

The delegation is structured to encompass the entire quantum industry rather than a single technology domain.

The Korean delegation comprises five startups, alongside Kyung Hee University Department of Future Science & Technology Commercialization Policy and Entrepreneurship, with approximately 20 participants forming an integrated ecosystem that combines research institutes, academia, and startups, enabling a full-cycle support system from technology validation to commercialization and global expansion.

One of the firms, OptiQ-Labs, was selected for an official pitching session on May 4, where it presented its laser-based optical modules designed for ion-trap quantum computing systems.

This highly competitive program selects only around 100 companies from more than 20,000 applicants worldwide. If selected as the winner of the pitching session, the company will receive follow-up meetings with U.S. state governments and economic development agencies, access to global investor networks, support for local entity establishment, and connections to site selection and tax incentive programs.

Other participating companies include QUAD, which develops single-photon detection technology; SLEEX, focused on underwater sensing; Elixir (StatUp AI), which works on quantum-classical hybrid algorithms for healthcare; and SQK (QMEDIC), specializing in physics-based imaging solutions.

KIST Project Director, Kang Sunjoon, said, “This program represents a critical milestone for Korean quantum startups to directly connect with global investors and industry ecosystems. Via the DIPS program, we are actively promoting the global commercialization of quantum technologies.”

Through its participation in SelectUSA, KIST has established a package-type global expansion model that integrates technology validation, investment attraction, and U.S. market entry.

The summit serves as a turning point for South Korea’s quantum sector, enabling startups to move into the next phase of validation, investment, and overseas expansion.

For more information, visit https://eng.kist.re.kr/.

About KIST 

KIST was established in 1966 as the first government-funded research institute in South Korea. KIST now strives to solve national and social challenges and secure growth engines through leading and innovative research.

About Participating Quantum Startups

QUAD, led by Chief Executive Officer, Oh Byung-doo, develops quantum sensing technologies based on superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors (SNSPDs), offering high sensitivity and precision with applications spanning quantum communication, quantum computing, semiconductor inspection, and defense.

SLEEX is developing an advanced perception technology that combines quantum LiDAR and electric field sensing to overcome limitations of existing underwater sensors, particularly by eliminating blind zones within the 0–2 meter range, with strong potential in autonomous navigation, maritime security, and defense, with Lee Jeho at the helm as Chief Executive Officer.  (https://www.thesleex.com)

Elixir, headed by Chief Executive Officer Jang Jung-kwon, develops a drug discovery and biomarker analysis platform based on quantum-classical hybrid algorithms, targeting the precision medicine market through the integration of bioinformatics and quantum machine learning. (statupai.com)

SQK develops medical imaging AI based on quantum-physics constraints, addressing the hallucination issues of conventional AI by ensuring physical consistency in CT and MRI reconstruction. Under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Kim Yoon-hak, SQK is improving reliability and reducing the need for re-scans in clinical settings. (www.sqkcloud.com)

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SOURCE The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST)

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He Sold Everything and Moved to Colombia for Her. Then Built the Translator They Needed and Named It After Her.

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Nayerly, a patent-pending iPhone app, is the first translator both people can talk over at once. Fully offline, 22 languages.

EDMONDS, Wash., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Michael Wilson sold everything he owned and left the US for Colombia to be with the woman he loved. They did not share a language.

Every translator they tried forced them to take turns: one speaks, stops, waits for playback, and only then can the other answer. It worked. It also turned every conversation into a transaction.

So he built his own, alone, and named it after her. Nayerly is now on the App Store.

Nayerly is full duplex, meaning it listens and speaks at the same time instead of taking turns. The app keeps listening while it is speaking, so you can talk over the translation, and it keeps listening when more than one person talks, so two people can talk over each other and it still works. No phone passed back and forth. It works like a personal interpreter sitting between you.

“Every other translator is a walkie-talkie. You talk, you stop, you wait,” Wilson said. “I built this so I could speak better with someone I love. That is the only way you make a real connection. It works so well you forget you are using it and start talking over each other.”

Everything runs on the device. All 22 language models download during setup, so it works with no Wi-Fi and no signal – on a plane, abroad, off the grid – and no audio ever leaves the phone. Hands-free works with any AirPods, not just the premium ones.

Key features:

– Full duplex: listens and speaks at the same time, so you can talk over the translation and over each other
– 100% offline in 22 languages, including Spanish, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Hindi and Ukrainian
– Hands-free with any AirPods
– Private by design: audio is never recorded or stored
– Free to download, 10 minutes of translation daily

Unlimited use is $1.99 per month during launch, billed annually. A one-time lifetime option includes Apple Family Sharing. New languages will be added in future updates at no additional cost to existing users.

Videos of Wilson and his girlfriend using Nayerly in Colombia, both speaking at once in English and Spanish, are on Instagram at instagram.com/nayerlyapp and TikTok at tiktok.com/@nayerlyapp.

Availability

On the App Store for iPhone now: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6762064110
More: https://nayerly.com 

About Nayerly
Nayerly is an independent iPhone app built alone by Michael Wilson and named for the woman he built it for. It exists so two people without a shared language can just talk.

Media Contact
Michael Wilson
Founder, Nayerly
421311@email4pr.com
425-220-5237

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/he-sold-everything-and-moved-to-colombia-for-her-then-built-the-translator-they-needed-and-named-it-after-her-302859030.html

SOURCE Nayerly

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Eleven GovTech Startups Named to Pitch at State of GovTech 2026

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Companies from across the country will pitch live to government and investor judges in Montgomery County, Maryland, September 9–10. Registration is free for government employees.

SILVER SPRING, Md., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — CivStart today announced the eleven startups selected to pitch at State of GovTech 2026, the organization’s seventh annual national govtech summit, taking place September 9–10 at the Silver Spring Civic Building in Montgomery County, Maryland.

The selected companies span permitting, public safety, emergency management, grant administration, constituent services, and civic infrastructure finance. They will pitch live on the main stage to a judging panel drawn from local government, county technology leadership, and the govtech investment community.

The 2026 Startup Cohort

Appellate  (Bentonville, AR) — system of record for police towing and vehicle custodyAyla  (Washington, D.C.) — public-sector recruiting on a live government labor-market data engineCODICE  (Washington, D.C.) — no-code permitting, licensing, and inspections platformGostly  (Westminster, MD) — real-time command center for urban infrastructureGrantwell  (Los Angeles, CA) — AI grant management across the full lifecycleGreen Stream Technologies (Wake Forest, NC) — flood and weather early warning systemsGovstream  (Seattle, WA) — AI-driven permitting intakeLabrynth  (US, Australia, EU, UK) — AI-native regulatory intelligence for permittingManyBond — crowdfinancing for community-supported local investmentReadyly  (Connecticut) — agentic AI resolving resident inquiries across every channelSamora AI  (Bellevue, WA) — multilingual voice AI for citizen information lines

The Judging Panel

Hillary Orr, Deputy Director of Transportation, City of Alexandria, Virginia Rita Reynolds, Director of Public Sector, CAI Thao Hill, Co-Founder and CEO, Govinity Tom Spenger, CEO, SOVRA Eyal Feder-Levy, CEO, Zencity

The pitch competition is one part of a two-day agenda built around working sessions rather than passive programming. Attendees draft AI use policies, run live cybersecurity breach simulations, and bring unresolved problems from their own jurisdictions to work through with peers.

State of GovTech 2026 is expected to draw more than 200 attendees, split roughly evenly between public sector leaders and the entrepreneurs, investors, and industry practitioners who serve them. The venue sits directly on the Washington Metro, and registration is free for government employees. Full agenda and registration at civstart.com/sogt26.

About CivStart

CivStart is a govtech organization connecting government leaders with the technology solutions and entrepreneurs solving public sector challenges. Through its accelerator programs, industry events, and products including Clarity and GovFit, CivStart helps state and local governments define their challenges and find partners equipped to solve them. State of GovTech is CivStart’s flagship annual summit, now in its seventh year. Learn more at civstart.com.

Media Contact:

Nick Lyell

Co-Founder & COO

421351@email4pr.com | 608.234.2166

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/eleven-govtech-startups-named-to-pitch-at-state-of-govtech-2026-302859026.html

SOURCE CivStart

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Goodix Unveils New Generation Touch Screen Controllers for Medium and Large Displays

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SHENZHEN, China, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Goodix has launched its new-generation GT9976 series of high-performance touch screen controllers for medium and large displays, targeting premium flexible OLED tablets, foldable smartphone main screens, and other smart devices. Delivering major upgrades in gaming control, touch performance in challenging environments, and active stylus support, the series enables device makers to create differentiated large-screen products for gaming, work, and learning.

As an early commercial deployment of the series, Lenovo’s latest Legion Y700 Wuji gaming flagship tablet and Tab Pen Pro 2 integrate Goodix’s innovative portfolio, including the GT9976N touch screen controller, an active stylus driver chip, and an ultra-narrow side-key capacitive fingerprint sensor, to deliver a more responsive and immersive user experience.

Faster Response for Smoother Large-Screen Interaction

High-refresh-rate displays used in competitive gaming place greater demands on touch response and data processing. The GT9976 series features Goodix’s proprietary full-screen parallel sensing architecture, which achieves a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) within a shorter scan time — significantly accelerating finger-signal capture and processing efficiency.

Supporting 7- to 9.5-inch flexible OLED displays, the new series delivers industry-leading touch report rates and instant sampling rates. From everyday browsing and app switching to sudden stops, sharp turns and rapid multi-taps in high-frame-rate games, the GT9976 series ensures smooth, precise, and highly responsive touch interaction.

Reliable, High-Precision Touch Performance in Demanding Conditions

To address the noise interference from flexible OLED panels under heavy system loads, the GT9976 series adopts an industry-leading high-noise-suppression analog front end (AFE) sampling architecture that doubles SNR over the previous generation. Combined with Goodix’s proprietary gaming algorithms, the controllers accurately identify valid touch signals even in complex noise environments, delivering stable, precise coordinate data at all times.

In demanding scenarios such as FPS, MOBA and rhythm games, the GT9976 series combines a higher SNR, high-speed scanning and sampling, and enhanced real-time noise monitoring with frequency-hopping technology to enable faster tap response and stable multi-finger control without jitter or drift. This improves responsiveness and tracking accuracy for pixel-level actions such as flick aiming, recoil control, combo execution and movement.

The series also integrates advanced dual-mode self- and mutual-capacitance sensing with complementary algorithms to improve palm rejection, effectively reducing false touches caused by grip and edge contact. Dedicated optimization for sweaty hands, wet fingers and gaming finger sleeves helps maintain sensitive and stable touch performance under challenging real-world conditions.

Enhanced Active Stylus Support for Productivity and Creativity

For mobile productivity, education and professional drawing, the GT9976 series also delivers significantly enhanced active stylus performance. When paired with Goodix active stylus driver chip, the solution supports a 360Hz pen report rate. Together with Goodix’s proprietary stylus anti-interference algorithm, it achieves outstanding linearity and precision — accurately reproducing every stroke for tasks such as note-taking, fine annotation, sketching, and handwriting practice.

For flagship OLED tablets with large screens, Goodix also offers the GT7A series, which supports display sizes ranging from 10 to 14 inches while delivering the same high overall performance, further strengthening its portfolio for mid- to large-size touch applications. Both the GT9976 and GT7A series have been validated by leading device brands and display panel manufacturers, and are set to be adopted in foldable smartphones, gaming tablets, and slim flagship tablets — enabling smoother, more precise, and more reliable large-screen interaction.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/goodix-unveils-new-generation-touch-screen-controllers-for-medium-and-large-displays-302859395.html

SOURCE Goodix

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