Anthropic Expands into Asia-Pacific, Including Korea
Anthropic held its first official event in South Korea, the Korea Builder Summit, on March 19 at Signiel Seoul in Jamsil, Seoul. Co-hosted by AI reliability company Coxwave, the event aimed to foster engagement with Korean developers and featured key...
Daejeon Startup Park Opens to Support Local Startups
Daejeon Startup Park, a new innovation cluster designed to support startups, has officially opened. Established by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in collaboration with the city of Daejeon, it is the second startup park in South Korea following the...
Busan Unveils Key Funding Strategies for Local Startups
Busan City has announced a detailed investment support strategy aimed at fostering a thriving venture ecosystem, covering the entire lifecycle of startups from early-stage growth to scale-ups and IPOs. As part of its long-term vision, the city plans to establish...
Korea Offers KRW 60M Grants to Foreign Startups
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has announced the launch of the 2025 Global Startup Commercialization Support Program, offering financial support of up to 60 million won to foreign entrepreneurs and overseas startups looking to establish businesses in Korea. Recruitment...
Han Pass Raises KRW 10B to Fuel Super App Expansion
Han Pass, the fintech company focused on providing financial services to foreign residents, has secured KRW 10 billion in Series D investment from the Korea Development Bank. The latest funding round comes just one year after the company’s Series C...
Primer Showcases Nine Startups at 25th Batch Demo Day
Primer hosted its 25th Demo Day on March 11, spotlighting nine emerging startups from its portfolio. Founded in 2010, Primer is a South Korean startup accelerator that discovers early-stage startups and helps them grow through mentoring and education. Since 2015,...
Korea Backs SMEs Hit by U.S. Tariffs
In response to the U.S. government’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) has unveiled a comprehensive support package to assist affected small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Following a visit by...
Seoul to Nurture 800 startups through Four Seoul Startup Hubs
Seoul City is strengthening support across five key areas through its four Seoul Startup Hubs (Gongdeok, M+, Seongsu, and Changdong) to ensure that local startups maintain their growth momentum despite the prolonged economic downturn. The city plans to invest 26.5...
MSS Hosts Deep Tech Value-Up Meetup
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (MSS) hosted the Deep Tech Value-Up Meetup Day, a key initiative designed to promote open innovation between top startups nurtured by MSS and leading global conglomerates. The Deep Tech Value-Up program, launched to enhance...
Creator Affiliate Platform ZVZO Raises KRW 10 Billion
Doers, the operator of the influencer affiliate platform ZVZO, has raised KRW 10 billion in Series A funding. The round included follow-on investments from existing backers—Bass Ventures, Korea Investment Partners, and Fast Ventures—while new investors, Murex Partners and IMM Investment,...
Leadership Changes Across 3 Major Startup Associations in Korea
This year marks a significant leadership transition for South Korea’s key venture startup support associations. The Korea Venture Business Association, the Korea Venture Capital Association, and the Korea Venture Business Women’s Association have all appointed new presidents, ushering in a...
GenGenAI Secures KRW 12B for Defense AI Data
GenGenAI, a South Korean artificial intelligence startup specializing in synthetic data technology, has secured 12 billion KRW in Series A funding. The investment round was led by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), which contributed approximately 6 billion KRW, acquiring a 9.87%...
Survey Reveals Korean Female founded business profits falling
The Korean government has released its 2024 Women’s Enterprise Survey, highlighting a nuanced landscape for women-owned businesses in 2023. The report indicates that while these enterprises showed improvements in stability and productivity, they simultaneously experienced declines in profitability and business...
Balaan Secures KRW 15B to Fuel Global Expansion
South Korean luxury e-commerce platform Balaan has secured 15 billion won in a new funding round, marking a major milestone as it continues to navigate challenges since its founding in 2015. The investment, led by Silicon Two, follows a conditional...
JLT Raises KRW 23 Billion for Robotics Automation
JLT, a robotics automation company, has secured a Series B investment of KRW 23 billion. The funding round was led by Stonebridge Ventures and included participation from Partners Investment, SJ Investment Partners, and Silicon Valley-based deep tech investor Millennium New...
Korea-Japan Launch KRW 29B Venture Fund
South Korea’s Ministry of SMEs and Startups has taken a major step toward strengthening economic ties with Japan by hosting the Korea-Japan Venture Startup Investment Summit 2025 in Tokyo. The summit, aimed at fostering cross-border investment and collaboration, saw the...