[StartupRecipe] Challenge! K-Startup 2025 Kicks Off

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#Weekly Funding Overview

[Feb 3~ Feb 7]

Company	Inudustry	Amount	Round	Investors
Wand	AI patent technology	-	Seed	Spring Camp
Macovill	Cross-media content IP	4.2 billion	Series A2	HYBEIM, Laguna Investments
DearMonday	Coworking Space	-	Seed	Lotte Ventures, VNTG, and Antler Korea
Pickle	AI startup	-	Pre-Seed	Y Combinator, NFX
SolomonLabs	Taxation AI Agent	-	Seed	Bass Ventures
Bind	3040 men's fashion commerce	4 billion	Series A	Kakao Ventures, Fast Ventures, D-Camp, D-Sung Ventures
ABR	Battery recycling	-	Seed	Ensl Partners, Korea Angel Investment Association
Powertask	Business automation platform	-	Pre Series A	Strong Ventures, Korea Investment Accelerator
Expensia	Brand innovator	-	Grant	TIPS
Recl	Used clothes platform	-	Grant	Scaleup TIPS
Upsight	Contech	-	Grant	TIPS
SodaLive	Audio drama platform	-	Grant	Pre TIPS
GPUN	Subculture game	-	Seed	Webzen
GNACompany	Game	5 billion		Laguna Investment, BNK Investment & Securities, DT&Investment, Korofranxt Korea, Shinhan Venture Investment
Studiolab	AI Solution for Commerce	3.3 billion	Pre Series A	SBI Investment, Naver D2SF
Redsippers	Content	-	Pre Series A	Grover Ventures, KODIT
Game2Gather	Game	-		Webzen
Cureverse	Bio	25 billion	Series B	Stick Ventures, Daekyo Investment, UTC Investment, UTA Investment
Rivetta	Web novel platform	-	Seed	Ensl Partners,Quantify Incubator
Class101	Creator platform	3.5 billion		Strong Ventures
FuriosaAI	Semiconductor fabless	2 billion		Crit Ventures
BridgeWorks	Cashback APP	-	Seed	Mashup Ventures, The Ventures
Ribotech	mRNA	2.5 billion	Pre Series A	Daily Partners, Union Investment Partners
KaiserBio	Bio	2 billion		Saehan Venture Capital
Kimzipsa	Apartment ERP platform	-	M&A	dukkubisesang

#Major Funding

• Cureverse has secured 25.3 billion KRW in funding. As a research institute spin-off from the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) developing next-generation dementia treatments, the company plans to use the investment to conduct clinical trials for its Alzheimer’s treatment, ‘CV-01.’
• Marcoville, a cross-media content IP startup, has secured 4.5 billion KRW in funding. The company owns the early childhood character IP ‘Chitabu’ and has recently launched a French-language channel to expand into European and African markets. The investment will be used to expand its IP business and accelerate game development.
• All-in-one creator content platform CLASS101 raised 3.5 billion KRW in funding, bringing its total accumulated funding to 82.5 billion KRW. The investment will be used to enhance its ‘Creator Home’ service, recruit top creators across key fields, strengthen content offerings, and expand its enterprise subscription services.
• Athler, a fashion platform specializing in men’s apparel for customers in their 30s and 40s, has secured 4 billion KRW in Series A funding. The company aims to diversify its product categories and evolve into a comprehensive commerce platform covering all aspects of men’s lifestyles.

#Trend Analysis

Challenge! K-Startup 2025 Kicks Off—The Biggest Startup Competition in Korea

South Korea’s largest multi-ministerial startup competition, Challenge! K-Startup 2025, is officially launching, continuing its mission to discover and support the next generation of innovative entrepreneurs. The competition will begin with an official announcement on February 4, followed by ministry-specific preliminary leagues running until August.

From there, 225 selected teams will move on to the main competition, where they will compete for a spot in the December grand finals. Ultimately, 10 startups and 10 aspiring entrepreneurs will be awarded, with a total prize pool of KRW 1.4 billion (up to KRW 300 million per winner), along with the President’s Award and the Prime Minister’s Award.

Launched in 2016, Challenge! K-Startup is a collaborative initiative led by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Science and ICT, and the Ministry of National Defense, with additional participation from other government bodies. Over the years, the competition has expanded significantly, now attracting an average of 5,700 teams annually, solidifying its status as South Korea’s largest startup competition. It serves as a premier platform for aspiring and early-stage entrepreneurs to showcase their innovative and bold business ideas.

This year, Challenge! K-Startup introduces the Content League, spearheaded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, to foster startups in the content industry. With this addition, the number of leagues increases to 12, allowing an expanded pool of 225 teams to advance to the main competition, up from 210 in the previous year.

Last year, at the 2024 Challenge! K-Startup competition, the final round took place on November 12 at COEX, coinciding with COMEUP 2024, South Korea’s largest startup event. A total of 20 teams received awards, selected from a pool of 6,238 participants competing under the guidance of 10 government departments, including the Ministry of SMEs and Startups.

In the Startup League, which is open to companies established within the last three years, Biobricks claimed the grand prize, securing KRW 300 million. The company specializes in bioprinting materials called organ ink and related medical devices. Meanwhile, in the Pre-Startup League, which is designed for aspiring entrepreneurs, WaterTrinez won the grand prize of KRW 130 million for developing a porous new material filter as an alternative to fluorine, addressing international environmental regulations.

With the expansion of Challenge! K-Startup in 2025, the competition is set to provide even greater opportunities for emerging startups, reinforcing its role as a crucial launching pad for South Korea’s most promising entrepreneurs.