Latest on Korean Startups
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Startups
PigUp targets MZ consumers with new meat culture
South Korea's island of Jeju is famous for its native citrus and pork. It's also where Shin Woo-sup, the founder of startup studio Futurera, came up ...
Jun 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Krafton mega IPO on horizon: Industry game-changer
Krafton Inc. is set to become the first South Korean decacorn startup, or a company valued at over $10 billion, to make a trading debut on the countr...
Jun 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Entertainment
K-pop fan engagement platform DearU eyes H2 listing
South Korea-based fan platform DearU Co. has filed a preliminary application to the Korea Exchange with plans for a trading debut on the country&rsqu...
Jun 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startup investments
NPS joins in TPG-led $125 mn funding for Kakao Mobility
The National Pension Service has committed $100 million to a TPG consortium that recently raised $116.8 million to invest in Kakao Mobility Co., Sout...
Jun 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce platforms
Kakao's fresh e-commerce strategy puts Naver, Coupang on guard
South Korea’s mobile platform Kakao Corp. is set to shake up the country's e-commerce market in the second half of the year with the launch of ...
Jun 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Internet banks
KDB bets big on fintech platform Toss ahead of 2023 IPO
The Korea Development Bank (KDB) has decided to invest 80 billion won ($72 million) in the fintech startup Toss via a rights offering. This marks the...
Jun 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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The Deep Dive
Misandry controversy rattles Korean retailers; CEO of No.1 fashion app steps down
Gender-discrimination controversies are rattling South Korean retailers, with two companies recently accused of misandry in publicity campaigns. In M...
Jun 04, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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CEO profile
Com2uS, Gamevil Chairman Song Byung-joon: Mobile game pioneer, sports enthusiast
About eight years ago on Oct. 5, 2013, Song Byung-joon, the then-chief executive of South Korean mobile game developer Gamevil Inc., visited the offi...
Jun 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Shopping app Ably raises another $55 mn
South Korea-based Ably Co., operator of the fashion app Ably, announced on Jun. 2 that it has raised 62 billion won ($55.7 million) in a Series B ext...
Jun 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Corporate culture
Inside Coupang: Close-knit, challenge-seeking, data-driven
Coupang Corp. has a unique corporate culture for a company headquartered in South Korea. Industry insiders highlight that this uncommon culture sepa...
Jun 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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[Exclusive] Pre-IPO funding
Market Kurly raises another $200 mn at a $2 bn valuation
The valuation of Kurly Inc. has now surpassed 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion). The operator of South Korea’s online grocery and gourmet food del...
Jun 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Luxury goods platform MUST'IT raises over $10 mn from VC firms
South Korea-based luxury goods platform MUST'IT has secured 13 billion won ($11.7 million) in a bridge round from venture capital firms Kakao Investm...
May 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
AI chip startup Furiosa AI wraps up $70 mn Series B round
South Korea-based artificial intelligence startup Furiosa AI has recently wrapped up an 80 billion won ($72.1 million) Series B round, attracting inv...
May 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Dental technology
National health insurance to cover dental startup AIOBIO’s QLF device
AIOBIO’s dental diagnostic devices will be covered by South Korea’s national health insurance from June 1. AIOBIO is the country’s ...
May 31, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Money flowing into fast-growing sneaker resale market
South Korea-based online fashion platform Musinsa has spun off its sneaker resale platform SoldOut to create a subsidiary named SLDT, alongside secur...
May 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Virtual space
Metaverse makes digital nomads the new norm
It’s been about four months since Lee Seul, a manager at real estate app Zigbang, worked from the company office in Gangnam, one of South Korea...
May 26, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future banking
KakaoBank’s skyrocketing valuation fuels debate on financial reform
There have been near-endless debates regarding the “proper valuation” of KakaoBank, South Korea’s largest internet-only bank that h...
May 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Cloud firms rush to secure footing in pet data market
The pet care market is set to ride a "cloud wave" as companies make use of pet data on cloud storage spaces to tap into the growing pet care market, ...
May 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Travel app Yanolja seeks $900 mn from SoftBank pre-IPO
South Korea’s largest travel platform Yanolja is in negotiations with SoftBank Vision Fund for an investment up to 1 trillion won ($900 million...
May 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
AI-based startup Riiid raises $175 mn from SoftBank
Artificial intelligence-based learning platform Riiid Inc. has raised $175 million from SoftBank Vision Fund 2, the South Korean company said on May ...
May 25, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
STIC Ventures invests $2 mn in Vietnamese logistics startup EcoTruck
South Korea-based venture capital firm STIC Ventures has recently invested $2 million in a Vietnamese logistics startup EcoTruck, a move aimed at boo...
May 24, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Fintech platform Toss seeks $180 mn in fresh funding
South Korean fintech startup Toss is seeking to raise 200 billion won ($177 million) in fresh funding, which would almost treble its valuation to 8 t...
May 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Fashion platform Ably looks to raise over $20 mn
South Korea-based Ably Corporation, the operator of fashion platform Ably, is seeking to raise around 40 billion won ($35.3 million), attracting a po...
May 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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[Exclusive] Webtoons
Kakao Japan secures over $500 mn from Anchor Equity; valuation tops $7 bn
Kakao Corp.’s Japanese unit is set to secure 600 billion won ($530 million) from South Korea-based private equity firm Anchor Equity Partners. ...
May 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Korea's COVID-19 test kit maker applies for $1.2 bn IPO
SD Biosensor Inc., South Korea's largest manufacturer of COVID-19 test kits, has applied for an initial public offering to raise up to 1.3 trillion w...
May 19, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Content platforms
Chat fiction app operator eyes global expansion, webtoon market
As smartphones have become essential to everyday life, chat fiction -- storytelling in the form of fictional text messaging -- has become popular amo...
May 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
Team Blind secures $37 mn in Series C round; eyes Nasdaq listing
Teamblind Inc., the operator of Blind, an anonymous social platform for discussion on workplace issues, has successfully concluded its $37 million Se...
May 18, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
SkyLabs wraps up $20 mn Series B round; eyes 2022 listing
South Korea-based healthcare startup SkyLabs has wrapped up its 22.5 billion won ($20 million) Series B round, with plans to focus on beefing up its ...
May 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Fractional investing
Songs and art: Fractional investing bedazzles millennial investors
Meet Mr. A, born in the '80s and a self-proclaimed "analog person" who enjoys collecting CDs and artbooks of his favorite painters. But recently, Mr....
May 17, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Startups
E-sports startup Bigpicture Interactive in talks to raise over $9 mn
South Korea-based e-sports startup Bigpicture Interactive Corp. is currently in talks with various venture capital firms to raise over 10 billion won...
May 16, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
