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Watch Japan’s first commercial jetliner from Mitsubishi take its maiden flight
2015년 11월 12일

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…

Now Kakao delivers fresh oranges into your house
2015년 11월 12일

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…

Cosmetic ranking service GlowPick received investment of US $1.3m
2015년 11월 11일

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 Spends Invest $50 Million in ‘Okja’ from Director Bong Joon Ho
2015년 11월 11일

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,…

Samsung’s improved Gear VR is now up for preorder at $99
2015년 11월 11일

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…

Multi-SNS advertising app Tenping secures investment from Capstone Partners
2015년 11월 10일

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…

Food app Gormey providing recommendations by food critics get major update
2015년 11월 10일

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 boosts investment into MCN provider Treasure Hunter by US$4.3m
2015년 11월 09일

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…

K Cube Ventures invests into Korean independent fashion brand platform, Mutzip
2015년 11월 09일

K Cube Ventures – specialist in mobile, internet and technology investments has invested US$500k (KRW 600m) into Mutzip, the provider of Hot Source an independent fashion platform. The name Hot Source refers to the independent platform’s ability to find ‘Hot’ trends and ‘Source’ fashion brands. The service is able to connect Korean independent fashion brands with buyers via mobile app and web base equipped with an easy transaction service. Mun Gun, the…

Anonymous company bulletin, Blind receives investment from Silicon Valley DCM and Japan VC Global Brain
2015년 11월 09일

According to ‘The Bridge’ a  Japanese startup media service provider, ‘Blind’ an anonymous social networking service for company employees has received an investment from Japanese investment company Global Brain as well as Silicon Valley’s DCM. The company launched their social networking service back in December 2013 and was among the beGLOBAL San Francisco’s Top 10 startups in 2014. Currently, Blind’s aim to provide ‘Open Communication to a Closed Community’. The service provided…

Mobile security developer, Lockin Company secures $1.3m investment business bank
2015년 11월 04일

Lockin Company, a specialist in mobile security solutions has received US$1.3 million (KRW 1.5b) in investment from KDB Business Bank. The investment comes within 2 years since its startup and has been sourced from a business bank rather than a traditional venture capital. This investment is the first of its kind in Korea from a major business bank into a startup still in its early stages. This investment reflects the level of…

I Am School provider of Mobile Homework Diary receives investment from LB Investment
2015년 11월 03일

Mobile digital homework diary service ‘I Am School’ has secured US$2.1m (KRW 2b) investment from LB Investment. I Am School is Korea’s first mobile homework diary service that captures 99% of the almost 63,000 bulletin boards used by 11,500 schools. Within 2 years of release, more than 1.3 million users subscribed to the service. The majority of the app downloaders were parents over 40 years of age; an age group that typically has…

Korean Startup ‘Fluenty’ Launched TALKEY, A Reply Suggestion AI for Smartwatches
2015년 11월 03일

November 5th, 2015 (Seoul, Republic of Korea) – A study last fall from Tecmark reported that the average smartphone owner checks their phone 221 times per day. The promise of devices like smartwatches is to reduce the number of those engagements. A new mobile app aims to simplifying replies to text messages, one of the most commonly used features of smartphones. TALKEY allows users to keep their smartphones in their pockets by…

NEOFECT Announces A New Technology For Stroke Rehabilitation
2015년 11월 03일

November 3 – Seoul, South Korea – NEOFECT, a smart rehabilitation solution startup, has announced the launch of two new products within their RAPAEL Smart Rehabilitation System: RAPAEL Smart Body, and RAPAEL Smart Kids. The RAPAEL Smart Rehabilitation System combines wearable bio-feedback devices and software, which are designed to improve the recovery process for patients with central nervous system disorders. NEOFECT’s first product, RAPAEL Smart Glove, brings gamification into rehab exercise for…

Accessory eCommerce provider DearMissJ lands investment from Sazze Partners
2015년 11월 02일

DearMissJ, an eCommerce startup marketing accessories and handmade product by Korean designers into the North American market has secured an early development investment from Sazze Partners from Silicon Valley and Primer. Following their start in 2014, they were quickly brought to the spotlight through Instagram of famous celebrities and North American fashion blogs. The platform has experienced continues growth in revenue with monthly subscribers often doubling. Kristy Kim from DearMissJ commented on…

Art rental service Open Gallery receives US$1.7m investment from LB Investment
2015년 10월 30일

Open Gallery, an art rental service startup has secured a US $1.7 m (KRW 2b) investment from LB Investment. Despite having been established only two years, the investment was able to proceed based on the great potential of the company to pioneer the art rental market in Korea. The combined experience and skills of the founding members has provided the company with a robust foundation: Park Yi Gyu responsible for art has…

Korea Rising: The 3 Pillars of Korea’s Startup Ecosystem
2015년 10월 28일

Editor’s note:  Senior Director Corporate Development at Baedal Minjok There is no doubt that Korea is in a revolutionary moment. In my last post, “Korea Rising”, I illustrated the unique position Korea is currently in. Leaving it with only one option: Build. The Korean War (1950–1953) left the country in a state of utter disorder. The bustling metropolis we reside in today was but a dream when basic running water was a…

Lotte Group pledges $85m towards accelerator funds
  ·  2015년 10월 27일

The recent announcement of Shin Dong Bin, the chairman of Lotte Group to dedicating US$85m (KRW 100b) towards accelerator funds was covered by major media outlets including Chosun, Joongang and Hankyung. Naturally, the articles offered positivity in covering the launch of ‘Lotte Accelerator’ which would commence in January next year and support youth startups with a total of US$85 million in funds. The articles also focused on Shin Dong Bin’s pledge of US$8.5m (KRW 10b) of…

K-beauty SNS Unpa receives $1.2m investment from Partners Investment
2015년 10월 26일

  Lycl Inc, the operator of Korea’s leading beauty SNS Unpa has confirmed receiving an investment worth US $1.2m (KRW 1.4b) from Partners Investment. The company has been consecutively selected as a leading medium corporation by the Department of Future Creative Science R&D. This investment has allowed Lycl Inc to secure capital position totaling US$1.7m (KRW 2b) which will allow upgrades to domestic services, provide operational stability and create a foundation for…

Rehabilitation Solution Startup NEOFECT, Receives ISO and CE mark to expand to EU market
2015년 10월 26일

October 26, Seoul, Korea – Smart rehabilitation solution startup, NEOFECT announced on Oct. 26th that they received the ISO 13485 certificate (Quality Management System for the design and manufacture of medical devices) and the CE mark. NEOFECT builds an international standard quality management system providing a consistent service by eliminating any problems of damage or deterioration in all processes regarding production, storage and delivery of medical devices through receiving the ISO 13485 certificate….