The Intercollegiate Initiative for Talent Development (IITD) at Seoul National University, in collaboration with local startup Growith, successfully carried out a pilot demonstration of an eco-friendly water quality improvement solution at Jahayeon Pond on SNU’s Gwanak Campus.
Eco-Friendly Fountain “PaDO”
SNU IITD is a collaborative initiative that aims to address disparities in education and research opportunities between the capital region and local areas, while fulfilling the university’s social responsibility for regional talent development. By actively sharing its physical resources with local national universities, SNU provides students from these regions with expanded opportunities for hands-on learning and experience. Through such efforts, SNU IITD pursues the value of mutual growth in higher education. The initiative also seeks to build a broader network connecting universities in the capital, local areas, and abroad—through customized educational programs, support for local talent employment and entrepreneurship, and collaborative research and academic exchange.
As part of its support for local entrepreneurship, SNU IITD has been working with Growith, a regional startup recognized as an outstanding team in the 2025 Regional Startup Solverthon hosted by the initiative. Through this partnership, Growith conducted a pilot demonstration of its innovation, PaDO, at Jahayeon Pond on the SNU campus.
Led by CEO Kang Myungjun, Growith was selected as an outstanding team in the 2025 Regional Startup Solverthon hosted by SNU IITD. In the recent pilot, the company showcased PaDO, a startup innovation that eliminates algae without the use of chemicals. Designed as a self-driving floating fountain, PaDO monitors water quality and removes algae. From June 16 to 18, PaDO continuously monitored the water at Jahayeon Pond, successfully identifying and eliminating algae-prone areas.
Growith stated, “This pilot at SNU allowed us to verify the on-site applicability of PaDO. It was a valuable opportunity not only to assess its performance in real-world conditions, but also to identify areas for improvement in terms of user convenience and system stability.”
SNU IITD highlighted the significance of this collaboration, stating that it serves as a concrete model for meaningful partnerships between universities and local startups. “One of our core missions is to support promising startup ideas from the region,” said a spokesperson. “We will continue to promote industry-academia cooperation to further vitalize the local startup ecosystem.” Moving forward, SNU IITD plans to hold a startup competition in the second half of the year, while also expanding networking programs and mentoring support to foster regional entrepreneurial growth.