ZeroWeb is a local network mobile platform developed for small to medium business people.  Recently it received an investment amount of US$2.6m from GS Home Shopping.   This brings their half year investment total to almost US$6m.  Back in March, Posco Technical Investments and BK Investments each invested US$2.9m for a combined US$5.8m series A investment.  Series A investments of this magnitude in Korea is considered extremely high. ZeroWeb plans on using this…

Korean researchers at the Center for Nanoparticle Research, Institute for Basic Science in Seoul have developed a stretchable silver nanowire mesh that heats your joints no matter how you bend them. (IBS was founded in 2011 by the government of the Republic of Korea with the sole purpose of driving forward the development of basic science in Korea It comprises a total of 50 research centers in all fields of basic science, including mathematics,…

Vungle, the way developers put video ads in their apps, has opened a South Korean office to accelerate growth and global expansion for the country’s startups through high performance in-app advertising. Vungle Korea is led by industry heavyweight, Hong Kim, former CEO of Groupon Korea. Kim brings a solid background in startups and finance, along with a passion for growing companies globally to his new role with Vungle. “South Korea’s startups have…

Daum Kakao Corp., provider of Korea’s number one messaging app KakaoTalk, today announced the official launch of #Search (pronounced ‘sharp search’) and Channel for KakaoTalk. #Search allows users to search and share information directly from the KakaoTalk chatroom, while Channel allows users to access and enjoy interest-based content from directly within the app. The two new features are unprecedented additions for messenger or SNS services, and they take KakaoTalk a step closer…

‘Verlocal’, is a service app that allows individuals to share their talents and knowledge.  Its aim is to be a social marketplace where people with talent meet people with curiosity.  It was revealed that a 1 million investment had been secured from Silicon Valley investment firms ‘Seven Seas Venture Partner’ and ‘Big Basic Capital. The company was founded by two US university  graduates.  The CEO of Verlocal, Lee Won Hong, is a…

On the 23rd August, Soft Bank Ventures confirmed their decision to invest into Brave Company is an internet publishing company. This investment is worth US$670k made up of $420k from Capstone Ventures and $250k from Soft Bank Ventures. Brave Company was formed in 2012 with the purpose of providing a platform optimised for the purposes of online lectures and learning materials. The purpose developed platform professionally organises lecture materials and courses.  …

SparkLabs (www.sparklabs.co.kr), Asia’s leading startup accelerator, is hosting their fifth demo day in Seoul, Korea. With over 1,700 people registered to attend, startup fever in South Korea is reaching an all-time high. “We expect to break the attendance record with over 1,000 people attending our 5th demo day. This is a testament to our track record of selecting promising startups and helping them grow into great companies. The SparkLabs demo day has…

Seoul-based restaurant recommendation service MangoPlate secured 6.7 billion won ($6 million) in funding from a group of global investors of Qualcomm Ventures, Softbank Ventures Korea, and YJ Capital, the venture investment unit of Yahoo Japan. With the latest investment, the total amount of funding received by MangoPlate so far has exceeded 8 billion won($8 million). MangoPlate launched its service in October 2013 at SparkLabs’ 2nd Demo Day. MangoPlate helps its users find restaurants through personalized…

This article ‘Meet WAY, a chic and compact device for your skin’ was originally published by e27’s Elaine Huang Having seen it in person, WAY is chic, compact and combines data from sensors to provide pollution, weather and overall skin health reports. WAY is a newly-launched personal skincare device, compatible with iOS and Android smartphones, currently up for crowdfunding on Indiegogo with pre-orders offered at 40 per cent off the projected retail price of US$149. In…

Chutcha is a used car app developed and serviced by Mr Pick.  In the use car O2O space, it is widely known as a market leader. Mr. Pick through their extensive experience in online platforms, provides O2O business solutions.  The startup’s experience has been gathered from IT experts from companies like Naver, Neowiz and Nexon.  Recently, Mr Pick confirmed East Gate Partners will invest US$585k into the company.  Of course, behind East…

A robotics team from South Korea took home the $2 million first-place prize in a competition this weekend to design robots that could aid humans in a natural or man-made disaster. The team is a collaboration between the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Humanoid Robot Research Center and from Rainbow Co., a company that was spun out of the research lab. The team’s humanoid robot, or HUBO, stands 5…

SoftBank Corp. (“SoftBank”) and Coupang today announced a definitive agreement under which a subsidiary of SoftBank will invest $1 billion in Coupang, the largest and fastest growing standalone e-commerce player in Korea. The investment is expected to close at the beginning of July, 2015 and will bring the total amount of funding raised by Coupang over the past year to nearly $1.5 billion. This funding will fuel Coupang’s innovations in its end-to-end fulfillment service, same-day…

Raising funds from venture capitalists is just like entering into a marriage, especially if a partner takes a seat on your board. There are a lot of things to consider when choosing a venture capitalist (who to marry) and how to best work with that person after receiving investment (after the honeymoon). Below are a few pointers from Eric Kim, Managing Partner of Goodwater Capital, who works closely with startups in Silicon…

Daum Kakao Corp., a leading mobile lifestyle platform provider, today announced a definitive agreement to acquire Path as part of the company’s global expansion efforts. The acquisition will take form in Daum Kakao carrying out an asset acquisition of Path the social network and Path Talk the messaging app. “We created Path as a network that brings users a source of happiness, meaning and connection. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished…

beSUCCESS is doing for Korea what Tech in Asia is doing for other parts of Asia. The company is an online media about startups and tech investments in Korea. It introduces new Korean ventures to a global audience through its media partners. But beSUCCESS also shares business ideas and trends from all over the world. In an effort to serve the ecosystem, the company offers opportunities for Korean startups to meet partners and investors in Korea and…

The second screening session for beGlobal Seoul 2015 was held in D.Camp on May 13. After a grueling day, our judges nominated the top 20 startups whom will be appearing on the big stage at the DDP, May 14th. There were a variety of applicants ranging from hardware through software with even a few international startups participating and pitching via Hangouts.   The relay screening went from 9AM to 6PM. Judges Yongkil…

The extended deadline for Startup Battle applications will hit tonight, April 6th, at midnight. I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all of the startups who have put their time and effort into making applications to this year’s startup battle and very much hope to see all of you at the upcoming conference! For those still working on their applications, please keep in mind the deadline. You…

The slogan at Recobell reads “Big Data? Big Money.” We’ve heard it before. RecoBell, a Korean based commerce innovation firm, seems to think they’ve got a solution that makes it easy for companies to leverage their data and turn it into increased efficiency and profit. Founded in February 2013, RecoBell leverages big data algorithms to help commerce companies get personal with their customers with the intent to make money for both themselves…

The Qualcomm Q-Prize, to be awarded at this year’s beGLOBAL 2015 Startup Battle, has been increased to a hefty $250,000. In light of this major change, we have extended out the deadline for applications to April 6th to give startups a bit more time to refine their applications and get through the first round of screening. Last year’s startup battle saw 112 startups apply. This year’s startup battle will be tighter, more…

90% of startups fail. That means if you are in a startup right now, you will most likely fail. You can either hunt, or be hunted. No. Failure is an illusion. Driven by the media and society at large to pump negativity into our lives – to drive interest and play with our minds. The concept of total failure as a startup is a dangerous one that causes selfishness, greed and a driven-by-fear…