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L’Oréal Showcases New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech

SHANGHAI, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On June 12, L’Oréal showcased its fast-evolving North Asia open innovation ecosystem at Viva Technology in Paris, through a dedicated forum themed “New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation.” The event brought together top startups from China, Japan, and South Korea – standout performers from the […]

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SHANGHAI, June 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On June 12, L’Oréal showcased its fast-evolving North Asia open innovation ecosystem at Viva Technology in Paris, through a dedicated forum themed “New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation.” The event brought together top startups from China, Japan, and South Korea – standout performers from the L’Oréal Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program (Big Bang)- alongside ecosystem partners from government, media, industrial parks and innovation hubs. This marks a key milestone as L’Oréal’s regional collaboration model takes the global stage.

New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech

New Frontiers of Beauty Powered by North Asia Open Innovation at Viva Tech

The forum explored regional innovation trends and L’Oréal’s beauty tech strategy, highlighting how the Big Bang program is helping scale cross-border partnerships. With winning startups now co-developing next-generation solutions with L’Oréal, the North Asia open innovation model is quickly growing from a regional catalyst into a global innovation accelerator.

“L’Oréal is born from science, and to continue to push Beauty frontiers, we believe in the power of co-creation, collaboration and co-innovation with the external world,” said Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO in charge of Research, Innovation and Technology at L’Oréal Groupe. “Big Bang is at the heart of our open innovation strategy in North Asia. It connects us with dynamic startups, fostering cross-industry collaboration and accelerating the development of disruptive solutions. The success of this model has inspired its expansion across other regions, amplifying our open innovation impact globally.”

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A key highlight of the forum was a roundtable discussion that explored real-world applications of open innovation, regional strengths, and emerging trends shaping the future of beauty tech. The session featured three top-performing startups from L’Oréal’s Big Bang program:

  • Veminsyn, a Chinese biotech startup, recently gained a strategic investment earlier this year. The co-founder Yufan Li pointed out : “L’Oréal brings not just capital, but scientific depth and global insight, it helped us turn a technical breakthrough into something with global potential.”
  • TheSEA, a Generative AI company in Japan, also the winner of 2024 Big Bang “Phygital Consumers Experience” track. “L’Oréal’s deep understanding of consumer needs has been instrumental in shaping our developments. We’ve found the ideal market where our technology can truly thrive,” said co-founder and CEO Yanjin Li.
  • ASLEEP, a South Korea-based AI sleep-tech firm, directly benefiting from Big Bang North Asia ecosystem. The company was introduced to L’Oréal at 2023 Viva Tech through Big Bang Korea Partner Ministry of SMEs and Startup, then gained the co-creation opportunity with L’Oréal Korea. “I’ve personally experienced and witnessed the impact of this open innovation ecosystem,” said Dongheon Lee, founder and CEO, “L’Oréal combines the robust resources of a beauty giant with the astonishing speed of a ‘Unicornus Rex’.

“What I find particularly unique about the ecosystem in North Asia is the strong connection between innovation creation and its design for scaling. This interconnectedness is well demonstrated within this ecosystem. ” said Guive Balooch, Global Managing Director, Augmented Beauty & Open Innovation at L’Oréal Groupe. ” By merging these innovations with our beauty expertise, we can create significant disruptions in response to consumer demands for enhanced performance, not just in Asia but globally. “

With initiatives like Big Bang serving as a conduit, the open innovation ecosystem in North Asia leverages the complementary strengths of China, Japan, and South Korea – from technology and industrial supply chains to market reach. By linking regional capabilities to global platforms such as Viva Tech, L’Oréal is transforming local innovation into a launchpad for global impact. During the event, L’Oréal ingeniously utilized advanced AI-generated virtual host technology fueled by the rapid growth of China’s e-commerce, from Topview.ai-a sister company of the winner of 2023 Big Bang Tabcut. Successfully “exported” this technology from Chinese livestreaming room to a global stage.

“Our North Asia Open innovation ecosystem originated with the Big Bang program pilot back in 2020. Now it has grown into a robust open innovation ecosystem, continuously powering beauty innovation,” said Lan Zhenzhen, Chief CA&E Officer for L’Oréal North Asia and China. “The open innovation ecosystem that derived from Big Bang is now a strong engine that powers the new frontiers of beauty tech. We welcome more partners to join us and co-create the beauty that moves the world.”

About L’Oréal Groupe

For 115 years, L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 37 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L’Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality.

With more than 90,000 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, perfumeries, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2023 the Group generated sales amounting to 41.18 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 6,400 Digital talents, L’Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse.

About L’Oréal North Asia Zone

L’Oréal North Asia Zone was established in 2021 as L’Oréal Groupe regrouped the geographical scope of its zones to give greater coherence to consumer behaviors and to create synergy within the region. The North Asia Zone comprises of five geographically and culturally connected markets of Mainland China, Hong Kong S.AR, Taiwan Region, Korea and Japan.

Situated in the most beauty intense region with more than one-third of the world’s total beauty consumers, L’Oréal North Asia shapes the future of beauty with its innovation centers in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, while investing in beauty tech transformation as one of the three beauty tech hubs globally. Here, our mission is to strategize, create and activate a powerful ecosystem around the North Asia markets as a competitive edge to unleash sustainable growth for all and inspire the world.

About L’Oréal China

L’Oréal, the world’s largest beauty company, entered Chinese mainland in 1997. L’Oréal China is headquartered in Shanghai and has five offices across the country. L’Oréal China currently has 32 brands and one R&I center in China, as well as two factories in Suzhou and Yichang, owning more than 15,000 employees. After 28 years of high-quality, steady and sustainable growth, China has become the second-largest market in the world, the headquarter of the North Asia “Beauty Triangle”, and one of three Beauty Tech Hubs worldwide.

As a benchmark foreign enterprise in China, L’Oréal has continuously increased its investments in innovation, society, people, and ecosystem. It also collaborates with partners to explore innovative models, set industry standards, and integrate resources, driving high-quality development of China’s beauty industry. L’Oréal founded the Group’s first venture capital firm of regional markets in China, “Shanghai Meicifang Investment Co., Ltd”. L’Oréal Group’s first self-build smart fulfillment center has been officially opened in Suzhou. Meanwhile, as one of the best corporate citizens in China, L’Oréal China has always implemented and kept the “L’Oréal for the Future Sustainable Development Commitment 2030” in mind. China is L’Oréal’s first market to reach 100% renewable energies for its sites. L’Oréal China also actively contributes to the development of Chinese society through diverse CSR programs that empower women, youth, and vulnerable communities.

About Venminsyn

Winner of L’Oréal BIG BANG 2023, invested by L’Oréal in 2025.

Co-founded by multiple PhDs from Peking University (State Key Laboratory of Protein and Plant Gene Research) and Tsinghua University (Key Laboratory of Industrial Biocatalysis), Veminsyn is a biotechnology company rooted in synthetic biology and driven by cutting-edge scientific innovation. It utilizes AI and biotechnology to discover natural active ingredients, creating innovative raw materials that offer both excellent performance and environmental sustainability.

About TheSEA:

Winner of L’Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L’Oréal China on Ecommerce product page.

TheSEA is a generative AI startup based in Tokyo, pioneering the world’s first fully AI-driven visual generation technology. Their technology enhances creative production efficiency and enables commercial-scale visual mass production, while maintaining high-quality output through fine-grained AI control. From generating entire scenes to auto-completing finished visuals, its AI autopilot system is designed to meet the unique needs of the beauty industry.

About Asleep

Winner of L’Oréal BIG BANG 2024, collaborating with L’Oréal’s brand LRP.

Asleep Co., Ltd. is a sleep AI company, transforming sleep tracking into a non-wearable solution with cutting-edge sound-based AI, achieving 94% of the performance of hospital-grade polysomnography tests. Asleep Track is the world’s first sleep tracking SaaS, seamlessly integrating advanced sleep tracking features into clients’ apps.

More information on https://www.loreal.com/en/mediaroom



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A Gold Mine for Family Offices in Sports Tech and Real Estate

The pickleball boom isn’t just a fad—it’s a full-blown revolution. With global participation soaring, infrastructure strained to keep up, and media rights commanding jaw-dropping valuations, this once-obscure sport is now a strategic asset class ripe for investment. Family offices with a knack for spotting trends should take note: the pickleball explosion is a rare opportunity […]

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The pickleball boom isn’t just a fad—it’s a full-blown revolution. With global participation soaring, infrastructure strained to keep up, and media rights commanding jaw-dropping valuations, this once-obscure sport is now a strategic asset class ripe for investment. Family offices with a knack for spotting trends should take note: the pickleball explosion is a rare opportunity to profit from equipment demand, venue development, and media rights—all underpinned by explosive growth metrics.

Let’s break down the numbers—and where to place your bets.

The Scalability of Pickleball: A Data-Driven Gold Rush

Pickleball’s rise is staggering. The U.S. alone saw participation jump from 13.58 million players in 2023 to 19.81 million in 2024—a 45.8% year-over-year surge. By 2033, the global market is projected to hit $4.4 billion, growing at an 11.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR). But the real opportunity lies in asset class scalability:

1. Equipment Demand: The $1.5B+ Opportunity

Pickleball’s gear market is booming. Paddles, balls, and apparel accounted for 39.3% of U.S. sales in 2023, with total equipment revenue expected to hit $1.5 billion by 2025. Brands like Onix, Franklin Sports, and Paddlesmith are already cashing in—but there’s room for innovation.

Action Alert: Look for firms with R&D in quiet paddle technology (to address noise complaints) or AI-driven customization. The winner here will dominate as the sport goes mainstream.

2. Venue Development: The Real Estate Play of the Decade

Pickleball courts are the new gold. The U.S. has 68,458 courts today, but demand is outpacing supply. A $855 million investment is needed over the next five years just to meet current needs.

  • Hotspots to Watch: Florida (1,228 locations), Texas (941), and California (1,223) are leading, but underpenetrated markets like the Mountain West and Midwest offer low-hanging fruit.
  • Model Opportunity: Chicken N Pickle, which blends courts with dining and social spaces, is proving the recreational-entertainment hybrid model works.

Family Office Play: Partner with real estate firms to build multi-court complexes in underserved areas. Add amenities like dining, pro shops, and even VR training centers to maximize returns.

3. Media Rights: The Next Billion-Dollar Frontier

Pickleball’s media appeal is exploding. The 2025 Carvana Mesa Cup drew crowds surpassing NBA and NHL averages, signaling a prime time for rights valuations.

  • Current Valuation: The sport’s media rights are still undervalued. Compare this to tennis, where the U.S. Open’s broadcast rights fetch $240 million annually—and imagine pickleball’s trajectory.
  • Growth Catalysts: Leagues like the Major League Pickleball (MLP) and the APP Tour are expanding, but fragmented governance (e.g., splits like the United Pickleball Association) could be a buy signal for consolidators.

Action Alert: Invest in production companies securing broadcast deals or buy into platforms like Pickleball TV, which could become the ESPN of the sport.

The Risks—and Why They’re Overblown

Critics point to infrastructure shortages, league fragmentation, and noise complaints. But these are speed bumps, not roadblocks:

  • Infrastructure: The $855M investment gap is an opportunity, not a liability.
  • Governance: Fragmentation creates acquisition targets for deep-pocketed investors.
  • Noise: Innovations in quiet paddle tech (already in testing) will quiet critics.

Final Verdict: Buy Now—Before the Market Matures

Pickleball is where Bitcoin was in 2013 or NFTs in 2020: a nascent asset class with exponential upside. Family offices can profit in three ways:

  1. Equipment Stocks: Back tech-driven gear companies (think Paddlesmith or QuietPaddle Inc.).
  2. Real Estate: Develop court complexes in growth markets.
  3. Media Rights: Lock in broadcast deals before valuations skyrocket.

This is not a bet on a sport—it’s a bet on demographic trends. Pickleball’s cross-generational appeal (average age dropped to 34.8 years in 2024) ensures longevity.

The clock is ticking. Get in now—and don’t let this gold rush pass you by.

Jim’s Bottom Line: Pickleball isn’t just a game—it’s a $4.4 billion asset class with room to grow. Family offices that move fast will dominate.



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Revelyst Inc. Unveils Revelyst Golf Technology, Platform for its Golf Innovation Brands

Revelyst Inc. unveiled Revelyst Golf Technology, a dedicated platform built around its category-defining golf brands. This move represents a strategic investment in the next generation of golf innovation, bringing the company’s technologies under one integrated identity. The Revelyst Golf Technology platform unites trusted leaders Foresight Sports, Bushnell Golf and PinSeeker, combining leadership across the most […]

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Revelyst Inc. unveiled Revelyst Golf Technology, a dedicated platform built around its category-defining golf brands. This move represents a strategic investment in the next generation of golf innovation, bringing the company’s technologies under one integrated identity. The Revelyst Golf Technology platform unites trusted leaders Foresight Sports, Bushnell Golf and PinSeeker, combining leadership across the most advanced launch monitors, rangefinders, GPS devices, simulation software and on-course tools in the game.

Revelyst Golf Technology marks a new era of integration with greater emphasis on connected data, software development and product collaboration across the portfolio. Revelyst Golf Technology supports golfers at every level, from the course to the studio to the screen, creating a seamless experience across formats, devices and skill levels.



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Samsung is looking into more AI devices – potentially including earrings and necklaces – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

New York (CNN) — Samsung is looking into new wearable devices, potentially including earrings and necklaces, amid an industry-wide push to develop new types of AI-powered consumer electronics. AI could enable a new wave of devices that allow users to communicate and get things done more quickly without having to take out a phone, Won-joon […]

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New York (CNN) — Samsung is looking into new wearable devices, potentially including earrings and necklaces, amid an industry-wide push to develop new types of AI-powered consumer electronics.

AI could enable a new wave of devices that allow users to communicate and get things done more quickly without having to take out a phone, Won-joon Choi, chief operating officer for Samsung’s mobile experience division, told CNN this week.

For Samsung, these types of new devices could be something you wear around your neck, dangle from your ears or slip on your finger.

“We believe it should be wearable, something that you shouldn’t carry, (that) you don’t need to carry,” he said. “So it could be something that you wear, glasses, earrings, watches, rings and sometimes (a) necklace.”

Choi’s comments underscore the opportunity tech giants see to develop new hardware products around AI, a technology that some say is expected to be as impactful as the internet itself.

AI services like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have moved beyond basic text prompts and are getting better at handling complex tasks. That’s led tech giants to look into devices that require less manual input than smartphones, which largely require typing and swiping on screens.

That search is already in full swing, starting with smart glasses. Meta has touted its AI-powered Ray-Ban smart glasses, of which 2 million have been sold since 2023, as a success. The Facebook parent also recently acquired a minority stake in Ray-Ban parent company EssilorLuxottica, according to Bloomberg, further indicating the company’s interest in AI-powered wearable gadgets.

Samsung, Google and Snap are also developing smart glasses, while OpenAI and ex-Apple designer Jony Ive are collaborating on a mysterious new AI device for next year.

When CNN asked Choi whether Samsung is actively looking into developing earrings or other smart jewelry, like a pendant or bracelet, Choi said the company is “looking at all kinds of possibilities.”

“What do you wear? Glasses, earrings… necklaces, watches and rings, something like those,” he said.

However, that doesn’t mean those possibilities will become products. Samsung and other tech companies routinely develop prototypes and evaluate new technologies internally without bringing them to market.

Some tech startups have already unsuccessfully tried to develop new AI gadgets to replace smartphones at certain tasks.

The Humane AI Pin, created by a pair of Apple veterans, flopped because of its high price and buggy performance. The company shut down the product and sold parts of itself to computing giant HP in February. Another device called the Rabbit R1 also launched to a lackluster reception last year, although it’s undergone significant updates since then. And a startup called Friend created an AI necklace that’s meant to be a digital companion, although its launch has been delayed until the third quarter of this year.

Samsung’s approach, unlike some of these options, will involve a device that’s a companion to your phone rather than a standalone product, similar to the company’s smartwatches, according to Choi.

And the company’s upcoming smart glasses, which it hasn’t revealed many details about yet, could be just the start.

“We are actively working on glasses, but some people do not want to wear glasses because they change their look,” he said. “So we are also exploring other types of devices.”

The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

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The 100+ best Prime Day deals under $100 on day four

From streaming sticks and Bluetooth speakers to smart home gadgets and chargers, we’ve rounded up the very best Prime Day tech deals under $100. Many match or beat previous all-time lows, and you don’t always need a Prime membership to take advantage of them. So if you’re looking to stretch your dollar without sacrificing quality, […]

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From streaming sticks and Bluetooth speakers to smart home gadgets and chargers, we’ve rounded up the very best Prime Day tech deals under $100. Many match or beat previous all-time lows, and you don’t always need a Prime membership to take advantage of them. So if you’re looking to stretch your dollar without sacrificing quality, let’s dive in.

Headphone and earbud deals

Smartwatch and fitness tracker deals

E-readers and tablet deals

Streaming, movie, and TV shows deals

Other miscellaneous deals



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District begins construction of esports arena at new Innovation Campus | School News

Olathe Public Schools is beginning the construction process for a new esports arena within the upcoming Innovation Campus on Rogers Road. The campus is expected to open slowly over the course of the school year, and part of the construction plan that was added later is the arena. Esports became an officially sanctioned KSHSAA activity […]

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Olathe Public Schools is beginning the construction process for a new esports arena within the upcoming Innovation Campus on Rogers Road.

The campus is expected to open slowly over the course of the school year, and part of the construction plan that was added later is the arena. Esports became an officially sanctioned KSHSAA activity in May — the decision to sanction the sport will increase competition opportunities and give more freedom to when and where teams can compete. 



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TNT Sports soon to be free from HBO Max’s shackles

A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from the worlds of sports business and media. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox. When Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Executive Officer David Zaslav said last month that […]

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