Korea’s New Industry Sectors Capture 76% of All Venture Investment in 2025
Korea’s twelve designated new industry sectors attracted KRW 5.2 trillion (USD 3.47 billion) in venture capital in 2025 — 76% of the country’s total venture investment of KRW 6.8 trillion (USD 4.53 billion). The figures reflect a sustained investor preference...
K-Startup Centers Open Applications Across 5 Countries
Korea’s overseas startup hubs – known as K-Startup Centers (KSC) – are inviting applications from high-potential ventures seeking a practical route into global markets. Since its first launch in Seattle in 2019, the network has expanded across key innovation corridors, including...
Ex-SK Hynix Executive's AI Chip Startup Xcena Raises KRW 150 Billion in Series B
Xcena, a South Korean AI semiconductor startup formerly operating under the name MetisX, has finalized a KRW 150 billion(approximately $103 million) Series B funding round — surpassing its original 100 billion won target after the raise was oversubscribed by investors...
Upstage Becomes Korea’s First Generative AI Unicorn
Upstage, an artificial intelligence (AI) startup, has officially become the first South Korean generative AI company to achieve unicorn status, with its corporate valuation surpassing KRW 1 trillion. Upstage announced the successful closing of its first Series C funding round,...
Korea's Largest Student Startup Program Opens Applications for 2026
The Ministry of Education and the Korea Young Entrepreneurs Foundation are accepting applications for the 2026 Promising Student Startup Team 300+ program through April 27. The Student Startup Promising Team 300+ is a flagship student entrepreneurship development program that provides...
Korean Medical AI Startup Mediwhale Secures KRW 20 Billion
Mediwhale, a Korean medical artificial intelligence company specializing in retinal-based cardiovascular disease prediction, has closed a KRW 20 billion ($14.5 million USD) SeriesC funding round. The latest raise brings Medweil’s total cumulative funding to KRW 51.2 billion.Premier Partners led the...
South Korea Launches Unified AI Policy Brand AI+ for All
The Ministry of SMEs and Startups has unveiled “AI+ for All”, a unified brand designed to consolidate the ministry’s various AI policies and support programs under a single identity. Alongside the brand launch, the ministry has finalized its Brand Identity...
Rebellions Closes $400 Million Pre-IPO
Rebellions, a global leader in AI inference infrastructure, has raised $400 million in a pre-IPO funding round led by Mirae Asset Financial Group and the Korea National Growth Fund. The round follows the company’s $250 million Series C in September...
K-Beauty Platform Memebox Raises $10M from ASQ Fund
Memebox (MBX), the Korean-founded K-beauty company, has raised $10 million in a growth investment from ASQ Fund, a vehicle co-founded by Saeju Jeong, Chairman of digital health unicorn Noom, and John S. Kim, CEO of Sendbird and Delight AI. ASQ...
South Korea Opens K-Startup of the Year 2026 With $370K Grand Prize
South Korea’s government officially kicked off K-Startup of the Year 2026, the country’s largest pan-ministerial startup competition, with a grand prize of up to KRW 500 million($370,000 USD)on the line. Nine government ministries and agencies are collaborating to host this...
Korea Launches Startup for All to Discover 5,000 Entrepreneurs
The Korean government is pushing forward with its “Startup for All” initiative — a nationwide project to identify 5,000 entrepreneurs and award top-performing founders with funding packages exceeding KRW 1 billion. At least 70% of selected founders will come from...
SBA to Launch Korean Startups Into 13 Global Markets
“We have set challenging KPIs to go beyond acceleration and achieve actual contract closings.” Kim Hye-kyung, Team Leader of Scale-up Team 1 at the Seoul Business Agency (SBA), made this statement at the ‘2026 Seoul Startup Hub Integrated Briefing’ held...
Korea Offers Up to KRW 80M to Foreign Startup Founders
Foreign entrepreneurs looking to launch or scale their businesses in Korea now have a new opportunity, as applications for the 2026 Global Startup Commercialization Program are officially open. The initiative is designed to draw high-potential founders from around the world,...
Korea's Fashion App Athler for Men Over 35 Raises KRW 10 Billion
Athler , a South Korean fashion platform targeting men aged 35 and above, has secured KRW 10 billion in a Series B funding round, its operator Bind announced today. The round was led by Company K Partners, with Laguna Investment...
Twinny Raises KRW 20.4 Billion in Series C
Twinny, an autonomous mobile robot (AMR) specialist has closed a Series C funding round totaling 20.4 billion won and announced plans to pursue an IPO within the year. Ato Investment served as lead investor in the round, joined by KT...
Primer Holds 27th Demo Day, Showcasing 9 Startups
Primer, one of South Korea’s leading early-stage startup accelerators, hosted its 27th Demo Day at the Korea Science and Technology Center’s international conference hall in Gangnam, Seoul. The event brought together a cohort of early-stage startups that had been selected...