Stripes, an O2O startup offering tailored men’s fashion has secured additional investment US$4.3m. On the 2nd November, the company, determined to become a comprehensive brand for men’s fashion launched its first oversea branch in Singapore. Lee Seung Jun from the company commented, “After studying the Asian market, we determined a high consumer preference towards Korean products”. The company plans on further oversea launches following the acquisition of ‘Dream Factory’ a manufacturer of luxury…

Social activity platform Friend Trip revealed on the 17th November that it had received US$1.2m (KRW 1.5b) in new investment. This is the second investment for the company and follows a US$500l (KRW 500m) last June. Friend Trip commenced as a startup with the aim of creating an innovative approach to interacting with leisure and travel culture. The platform delivers on this objective by creating a communication platform connecting new people based on…

Korean smartphone accessory startup ‘Bench Soft’ has garnered much attention from the market with its unprecedented type of USB memory device. “Xl.i.CON Flash Memory” is Bench Soft’s USB flash memory that sticks like a magnet when it is used with its ingenious iPhone smartphone case made with the X-Link technology. CES recognized Bench Soft’s remarkable idea, and gave the award to the USB flash memory and case set. The CES Innovation Awards…

보석용 인공 다이아몬드 제조 스타트업인 ‘다이아몬드 파운드리(Diamond Foundry)’가 지난 11일 최근 3년간의 축적된 생산 과정을 일부 공개했다. 관계자에 의하면, ‘다이아몬드 파운드리’는 얇은 슬라이스 형태의 다이아몬드 원석 위에 *플라스마를 이용해 원자 층을 쌓는 방식으로 다이아몬드를 제조하며, 이러한 방식으로 2주에 9캐럿을 생산할 수 있다고 전했다. 이때 플라스마 형성을 위해 태양 표면(5,500°C)보다 뜨거운 8,000°C의 반응기를 이용한다. *플라스마(Plasma) : 기체상태인 물질에 계속 열을 가하여 온도를 올려주면 이온 핵과 자유전자로 이루어진 입자들의 집합체가 만들어진다. 물질의 세 가지 형태인 고체, 액체, 기체와…

On the 17th November, Softbank ventures announced that it had made an investment into HyperConnect a communication application startup. The total of the investment was revealed to be US$8.6m (KRW 10b) and was provided jointly with Altos Ventures. HyperConnect Inc. started in March last year with the aim to connect the people of the world with the most effective and economical means. Their communication app ‘Azar’ allows easy live chat with other users…

지난 3일 ‘트위터’가 별 모양의 ‘선호(favorite)’ 버튼 대신 하트모양의 ‘좋아요(like)’ 버튼을 도입했다. 이 변경 건에 대해 그동안 일부 소비자들이 냉소적인 반응을 나타낸 것으로 알려졌으나, 이러한 결정이 되돌려지기는 어려울 것으로 보인다. 제품 총괄 수석부사장인 케빈 웨일(Kevin Weil)은 “버튼 변경 후 한 주 동안 전 세계에서 기존 사용자들의 버튼 사용량이 6%나 증가했다”면서, “트위터의 규모를 생각해볼 때, 6%의 증가라는 것은 상당히 의미 있는 수치”라고 밝혔다. 그는 이와 더불어 신규 사용자들의 경우 기존 대비 9%나 증가했다고 전했다. 케빈…

Editor’s note: Senior Director Corporate Development at Baedal Minjok I. There is a Chaebol in Korea that is nameless. No HQ, no CEO, not even an email. It has massive worldwide influence; setting trends in Asia within a matter of hours. The nation’s economy fluctuates with the slightest movement of this corporation. The organization’s dominant power and reach far surpass the ranks of Samsung, LG, and Hyundai. Combined. There is not a…

글로벌 액셀러레이터 와이컴비네이더(Y Combinator)의 대표 샘 알트먼이 스타트업들에 조언을 주는 ‘스타트업플레이북’을 만들며 와이컴비네이터 창업자이자 수필가인 폴 그레이엄의 행보를 따르고 있다. 무언가 새로운 것을 시작하고 싶거나, 스타트업에 관심이 있다면 샘 알트먼이 스타트업플레이북을 통해 전하는 인사이트를 참고하기 바란다. 샘 알트먼의 글 중 일부를 정리해 보았다. 좋은 아이디어를 가진 자는 왕과 같다. 하지만 모든 사람이 당신의 아이디어를 듣는 즉시 좋아할 리 없다. 대부분의 사람은 비웃으며 콧방귀를 뀔 거다.  아이디어를 도용당할 걱정에 모든 것을 비밀에 부친다면…

Woman’s Talk, Korea’s first online mobile beauty home shopping has succeeded in attaining a Series A investment of US$1.7m (KRW2b). With their launch in February titled ‘Korea’s first online beauty home shopping’, Woman’s Talk is the leading video commerce platform in Korea. The platform relies on a distinctively unique marketing strategy, utilizing a range of product ambassadors that appear in their media including reporters, actors, show hosts, comedians, Youtube channel hosts and…

Makeus, a Multi Channel Network startup has successfully secured the largest Korean investment into MCN (Multi Channel Network) in recent news. The investment totaling US$17.4 (KRW 20b) has been provided by venture capital companies DSC Investment, KTB Network, Capstone Partners and Stonebridge Capital secures US$17.4 m. With the rising trend towards new media, MCN companies have been attracting great interest from investment companies.  Of the recent investments into similar companies, this is…

Kakao Corp. (KOSDAQ 035720) today reported third quarter financial results under Korean-IFRS. Kakao’s consolidated revenue for the quarter was KRW 229.6 billion with mobile businesses making up 56%. For the third quarter, Kakao focused on actively identifying and promoting new ideas and business opportunities. This led to uniform growth in mobile businesses, and consolidated revenue for the quarter grew 1.4% QoQ and 3.5% YoY. Kakao’s commerce platform showed the greatest growth in…

Japan’s first commercial jet, The Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ) – developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, in half a century made its maiden flight on Wednesday. The two-engine aircraft, approximately 35 metres (115ft) long, flew smoothly upward into clear skies in central Japan. It is an important milestone for an ambitious effort by Japan to develop its aerospace industry. The flight seems to have gone well, with the Guardian reporting that it “flew smoothly upward…

Kakao will launch a pilot program called Kakao Farmer to deliver mandarin oranges produced in Jeju Island todeliver it to consumers when it is in its most delicious state. The pilot operation that began Tuesday will only be offered for three months. A 11-pound box (5kg box) of mandarin oranges will cost around $13 including delivery fees and the tangerines can be purchased through Kakao platform with kakao pay. Additionally Kakao has…

GlowDays the company behind GlowPick has received a Series A investment of US$1.3m (KRW 1.5b) from SL Investment,  Jafco Asia and ShinHan Capital.Glowpick is a cosmetic raking service that provides ranking based on consumer reviews of the product. The ranking process is somewhat different to other similar platforms in that GlowDays runs an algorithm to establish only credible and genuine review. A common problem in modern blogs and review platforms is the…

Netflix will invest $50 million in upcoming South Korean film Okja by Bong Joon Ho which will be co-produced by Plan B Entertainment, an American film production studio co-founded by Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Okja is a monster movie about the friendship between a little girl and some type of creature. I hope it shares some DNA with Joon-ho’s best movie, The Host. The cast is nothing to shake a stick at,…

미국 덴버에 본사를 둔 실내 인테리어 디자인 플랫폼 기업 헤븐리(Havenly)가 파운드리 그룹(The Foundry Group)과 개인투자자들로부터 750만 달러(한화 약 85억 원) 규모의 시리즈 A 투자를 유치했다. 헤븐리는 디자인 플랫폼을 통해 소비자별 니즈에 최적화된 온디맨드 서비스를 제공하는 기업이다. 2014년 설립된 이후 지금까지 수천 명의 고객을 유치하며 매달 20~30%씩 성장하고 있다. 헤븐리는 실내, 특히 룸 디자인을 수정하거나 새롭게 만들고 싶지만 수백에서 수천 달러에 이르는 높은 컨설팅비용으로 망설였던 고객들에게 각각 79달러와 199달러라는 저렴한 비용으로 서비스를 제공한다. 고객들은…

Samsung’s improved mobile VR headset is ready for the taking the ordering. Oculus announced Samsung’s Gear VR will ship on November 20 with pre-orders kicking off Tuesday. The device costs $99, and can be purchased through Samsung’s website, Amazon and Best Buy. (Full user manual link) Samsung built the new Gear VR to be lighter and more comfortable to wear than its predecessor. The headset can play “dozens of new made-for-VR games” headed…

10th November 2015 – Tenping, a public company providing real time mobile rumor service revealed it had received an investment from Capstone Partners. Tenping is a marketing service that allows advertising content to be released in native format. The app then releases this onto other social networks, blogs and mobile apps. Already more than 100 advertising companies have used the service to release over 600 advertising contents. Since launching in May last year, the…

Gormey, an app that is aimed at providing credible restaurant recommendations recently announced major updates for both iOS and Android releases.  Although there are many restaurant recommendation apps on the market, Gormey brings a whole new level of credibility by providing recommendations based only on reviews by food critics. After all, professionals that review food for a living are likely better candidates at providing recommendations. Gormey recommendations are driven by human curation…

SK Telecom has made a US$4.3m (KRW 5b) into MCN (Multi Channel Network) operator Treasure Hunter. Treasure Hunter is the creator and operator of famous and popular channels such as YangDding (YG Gaming Channel), Aligator and Eve Kim.  The investment is expected to boost the Hotzil channel which was launched on the 9th November as a channel for music, live and entertainment mobile video. SK Telecom highlighted their aim in improving the…