Latest on Korean Startups
Korean startups
SK Networks invests in AI-based US healthcare startup LVIS
South Korea’s SK Networks Co. said on Tuesday it joined a $15 million in Series B-2 funding for US healthcare startup LVIS Corp.LVIS, headquartered in Silicon Valley, developed an artificial intelligence-based software NeuroMatch that analyze
Jan 11, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Biotech firm EDGC embarks on metaverse journey
EONE-DIAGNOMICS Genome Center Co. ( EDGC ) announced this week it would participate in AI Human Metaverse Project consortium – along with seven ...
Jan 05, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Former K-pop dancer turns to AI for personal training services
When Dia Kang first moved to Silicon Valley in October 2016 to create a dance app to learn K-pop moves, there was no worldwide pandemic. By Jan...
Jan 04, 2022 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture Capital
Pipeline software solutions provider Cloa wins $5.1 mn in additional funding
NAVER Corp.’s startup accelerator D2SF (D2 Startup Factory) has made an additional investment into data pipeline solutions provider Cloa, the ...
Dec 29, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture Capital
Mobile POS maker Payhere receives $84.2 mn in Series A funding
Mobile point-of-sale (POS) system maker Payhere Inc. announced Tuesday it received 10 billion won ($8.4 million) in Series A funding from Softbank V...
Dec 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Year-end review
Kosdaq: Perennial bush league as blue chips favor Kospi
South Korea’s tech-heavy Kosdaq market has been underperforming the main Kospi market for a couple of decades, raising concerns that the junio...
Dec 28, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
SK Square injects $29.5 million into agriculture startup
Korean investment firm SK Square Co. Ltd. has invested approximately 35 billion won ($29.5 million) into homegrown agriculture tech startup Greeln...
Dec 27, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
VCs in Korea shell out in search of next unicorns
2021 has been a heyday for Korea’s startup ecosystem – especially for the VCs that invest in it. In the first three quarters of this ye...
Dec 22, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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E-commerce
Coupang embraces affordable fashion industry
Korea’s e-commerce giant Coupang is looking to tap into the country’s mid-range fashion market. The company is now reversing the ...
Dec 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Strong Ventures, KB Investment invest in K-pop metaverse
South Korea’s KB Investment Co. and US venture capitalist Strong Ventures LLC have invested in Stan World, a K-pop metaverse platform operator...
Dec 21, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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IPOs
Unicorns like Socar and Kurly to dominate Q2 IPOs
Korea’s first mobility unicorn Socar and an online grocery delivery service operator Kurly Inc. are scheduled to begin the process of an IPO e...
Dec 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Blockchain
Korea's gaming industry turns to blockchain, unwavered by Seoul’s policy
Come next year, Korea’s online game developers are poised to release a number of games on blockchain platforms.The companies have lined up the...
Dec 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Future mobility
Nexen Tire invests in US urban air mobility startup ANRA Technologies
Nexen Tire Corp., Korea’s third-largest tire maker, has made an undisclosed amount of equity investment in ANRA Technologies, a US urban air m...
Dec 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Korean unicorns jump fivefold in four years with record investment in 2021
Investment in South Korean startups hit an all-time high in 2021 as the number of new unicorns, unlisted companies with a valuation topping $1 billi...
Dec 20, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Cryptocurrencies
Dunamu boasts accumulated Q3 net profit of $1.7 bn, vows to go global
Dunamu Inc., the operator of Korea’s largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, has announced that its accumulated third-quarter net profit came i...
Dec 15, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Robotics
Robotics shares climb on back of Samsung interest
Shares of Korean robot makers jumped this week following a tech giant’s decision to extend resources on its robotics department. Invest...
Dec 14, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
K-startups take note of growing demand for 'meta fashion'
Meta fashion, a combination of fashion, metaverse, and NFT, is becoming a global trend. The MZ generation, as those in their 20s and 30s are ca...
Dec 13, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Cybersecurity stocks market darlings on rise of metaverse
Just a couple of years ago, the prevalent market view on the cybersecurity industry was that it would go downhill rather than prosper as public orga...
Dec 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
Hanwha, Musicow to launch JV in US for copyright trading abroad
Musicow Inc., a music copyright trading platform and one of the hottest startups in South Korea, will set up a joint venture in the US with Korean c...
Dec 10, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
Simulation training developer Naviworks eyes 2022 IPO
Naviworks Co., a South Korean developer of virtual reality-based military training software, looks set to join a growing pool of metaverse-themed st...
Dec 09, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Metaverse
VR meetings with holograms, powered by metaverse startup DoubleMe
Come next year, attending meetings as a hologram version of yourself is set to become more common.Metaverse startup DoubleMe plans to commercialize ...
Dec 07, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Artificial intelligence
Ex-quant developer on a mission to save traders' microseconds
A Korean startup about a year old has succeeded in creating a microchip that speeds up trading by a few microseconds -- a huge difference in the w...
Dec 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pharamaceuticals, biotech
Celltrion to conduct tests on Omicron variant detected in Korea
Biopharmaceutical powerhouse Celltrion Inc. plans to use its treatments to test the Omicron variant detected in Korea, according to a high-level com...
Dec 06, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Tech, Media & Telecom
Kakao extends rivalry with Naver into digital healthcare
Kakao Corp., an operator of South Korea's top mobile messenger app KakaoTalk, has set its sights on the digital healthcare market, launching an in-h...
Dec 03, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
Korea Venture Investment creates global fund worth $2 billion
Korea’s government-backed fund of funds (FOF) management institution announced its latest selection of funds late last month, which would bene...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Venture capital
Korea's biggest fund to invest $5.8 million in overseas VCs
Korea Venture Investment Corp. plans to invest $58.2 million or about 69 billion won in 10 funds around the globe. The government-backed fund o...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Mergers & Acquisitions
Kakao buys startup Grip, fueling e-commerce push
South Korea's Kakao Corp. has acquired a live streaming e-commerce app Grip Co. to beef up its online shopping business, considered the weakest spot...
Dec 02, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Pre-IPOs
Market Kurly raises $200 mn at over $3 bn valuation
Kurly Inc., an operator of South Korea's online grocery delivery service Market Kurly, has raised 250 billion won ($212 million) in pre-IPO funding ...
Dec 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Blockchain
MediBloc aims to promote safe exchange of medical data using blockchain
As the adoption of artificial intelligence becomes more prevalent, the value of data also increases rapidly. The quality and quantity of data...
Dec 01, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
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Korean startups
HealthQuest-backed Lunit applies for 2022 Kosdaq IPO
Lunit Inc., a South Korean developer of AI-based diagnostic tools for cancer screening, has surpassed 1 trillion won ($841 million) in value in over...
Nov 30, 2021 (Gmt+09:00)
3 Min read
Hidden Champions
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3G Technologies
Published: Sep 25, 2020
Last updated: Jul 06, 2021
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Point Mobile
Published: Sep 14, 2021
Last updated: May 10, 2022
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T-Robotics
Published: Mar 25, 2021
Last updated: Jan 30, 2023
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DCM
Published: Dec 09, 2022
Last updated: Jan 30, 2023
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Koh Young Technology Inc
Published: Sep 21, 2020
Last updated: Jan 20, 2023
Future Unicorns
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S.lab Asia
Published: Jul 20, 2022
Last updated: Jul 21, 2022
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L-Base
Published: Oct 21, 2022
Last updated: Nov 16, 2022
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Sandbox Network
Published: Mar 22, 2021
Last updated: Jul 23, 2021
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Wisely
Published: Sep 20, 2020
Last updated: May 25, 2023
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Fridays Lab
Published: Jun 30, 2023
Last updated: Nov 10, 2023
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