[StartupRecipe] Robotics Investment Soars in South Korea

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#Weekly Funding Overview

#FUNDING

#TREND ANALYSIS

Robotics Investment Soars in South Korea

Global investment in robotics startups is accelerating, and South Korea is a significant part of this trend. According to Crunchbase, worldwide investments are expected to surpass $6 billion this year, a new record. This pattern is mirrored in Korea, where domestic robotics startups have secured KRW 143.4 billion in the first half of the year, according to startupRecipe data.

This funding is spread across various sectors, including manufacturing, software, healthcare, and logistics. Notably, within the manufacturing sector, robotics startups have attracted a disproportionate share of funding, accounting for nearly 30% of total investments in the sector. This strong performance, even in a challenging economic climate, highlights the significant demand for robotics solutions in manufacturing. Recent investments in July alone saw robotics startups like Beyond Honeycomb and aeiRobot each raise KRW 10 billion, while Hurotics secured KRW 5 billion. This influx of capital shows a clear acceleration in investment pace. The industry’s confidence is further demonstrated by LG Electronics’ acquisition of Bear Robotics earlier this year.

Korean startups are also proving their ability to attract substantial funding from their earliest stages. RealWorld, for example, secured KRW 21 billion in seed investment in April, and Holiday Robotics raised KRW 17.5 billion just five months after its founding last year.

While humanoid robots are attracting the most attention and investment globally, the Korean market’s focus is currently different. The largest domestic investment in the first half of the year went to Robos, a company developing slaughter automation robots. To boost the humanoid robotics sector, the government has launched the ‘K-Humanoid Alliance’, a collaborative effort involving 40 industry, academic, and research partners with a total investment of over KRW 1 trillion by 2030.

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