Originally posted on TechCrunch Moms feeling guilty about baby-spamming Facebook with their child’s photos and their every precious moment now have a more private alternative for those updates, thanks to a new mobile social network called Smile Mom. The app, which is designed to connect moms with others nearby, has already grown to 14,000 users during its beta testing phase. The founders behind the new app are formerly of Paprika Lab, a…

It has never happened before that a Korean startup has been able to secure early stage funding ($400k in this case) from such a high profile Silicon Valley investor line-up. The news that Korbit has achieved this momentous step heralds the start of a year that has already been billed as having the best potential ever, for Korean startups. While the value of the investment may seem small by Silicon Valley standards,…

This year I have been on a record number of business trips overseas, some solo and some with Korean startups. All with the aim of brokering closer international business ties and developing startup success across boarders. I have learned a lot and would like to share some tips from my experience to help you make the most of what can be expensive mistakes if you are not prepared. This post was inspired…

Date: Tuesday, October 1st, 2013 Location: COEX Conference Hall Room #318, Seoul, Korea Schedule:  1:30pm-6:00pm 1:30pm-2:45pm  Intro and 1st half of demo+pitch 2:45pm-3:00pm  Break 3:00pm-3:50pm  2nd half of demo+pitch 3:50pm-4:00pm  Break 4:00pm-5:00pm  M&A: Inside View 5:00pm-6:00pm  Networking Presenting Companies StyleWiki iBabyBox MangoPlate Zoyi HeyBread Lateral DesignPlusD TrakInvest Short Program (M&A: Inside View) Get the insiders’ view of the M&A process from entrepreneurs who have gone through it.  Learn about what led to their decision to sell,…

How do you pitch, and then manage the relationship with your investors? You cashed the check, now what? Managing the relationship with your investors is an important skill that new entrepreneurs have to learn. Join us at beGLOBAL for a lively discussion about how to navigate the sometimes-complicated relationship between the idea and the money. That is the topic that will be discussed at the Korean LP’s/Funds investing in Silicon Valley Panel…

Jørn Lyseggen is the scrappy Norwegian entrepreneur who founded Meltwater News in 2001 with only $15,000. Meltwater News has since grown into the Meltwater we know today as a global leader in online intelligence with more than 50 offices, 800+ employees, and more than 16,000 global clients. As CEO, Jørn leads the expansion of Meltwater with new ventures in the Software as a Service (SaaS) market. As an entrepreneur and patent holder…

There are some seriously heavyweight VCs at the beGLOBAL conference in Palo Alto, September 13. One highlight will surely be the Seed Funds Going Global Panel, featuring top names such as David Lee (SV Angel), Jeff Clavier (SoftTech Ventures), Aydin Senkut (Felicis Ventures), Christine Tsai (500 Startups) and Sarah Lacy (PandoDaily – moderator). The Line up for this panel is so impressive that we have divided the introduction in two parts. Yesterday…

There are some seriously heavyweight VCs at the beGLOBAL conference in Palo Alto, September 13. One highlight will surely be the Seed Funds Going Global Panel, featuring top names such as David Lee (SV Angel), Jeff Clavier (SoftTech Ventures), Aydin Senkut (Felicis Ventures), and Christine Tsai (500 Startups), all moderated by the edgy Sarah Lacy, CEO of PandoDaily. The Line up for this panel is so impressive that we will divide the…

  Who better to discuss current & future investment opportunities in Asia than three venture capitalists based in The US, with Korean roots? Eric Kim, Tae HeaNahm and Han Kim all have extensive knowledge about investing in Asia/Korea and have many success stories resulting from their combined portfolios in the region. They will be sharing their insights on a panel discussion at beGLOBAL. Tae HeaNahm is a founding general partner of Storm…

Large corporates, particularly Korean large corporates, have often been charged with the slogan that, “big companies don’t innovate”. That’s a statement Marc Shedroff, VP at Samsung’s Open Innovation Center in Silicon Valley, disagrees with. Samsung, which now has a $1Bn R&D operation in the heart of Silicon Valley, is pushing hard to convert new ideas into innovative products in an increasingly tough market (primarily phones & tablets). The company spends over $10…

Founded in March, 2012, K-Cube Ventures made a big first step by investing in 6 startups within 4 months of its start. What do we need for a growing the Korean startup ecosystem? “This question, which we asked ourselves, created ‘K-Cube Ventures’. There were not many opportunities for the early stage companies in Korea. They needed ‘Money’ and ‘Practical experiences’ from other entrepreneurs who went through same difficulties. That’s how K-Cube Ventures…