Tech in Asia » Korea

Which investors are writing the most checks to Korea-based startups?

https://www.techinasia.com/active-investors-koreas-startups

Travel Wallet's flagship product is Travel Pay, a prepaid card that lets users exchange funds and make payments in 46 different currencies.

https://www.techinasia.com/lightspeed-leads-10m-in-south-korea-based-digital-wallet

Initially built to help criminal investigations, StealthMole's AI platform analyzes over 255 billion data points from the dark and deep webs.

https://www.techinasia.com/korean-cybersecurity-startup-nabs-7m-to-shield-sea-with-dark-web-intelligence

The South Korean startup, whose partners include Kakao, Naver, and Google, logged US$230 million in GMV for 2023.

https://www.techinasia.com/traveltech-firm-onda-eyes-15m-raise-restarted-sea-mena-expansion-plans

The acquisition lets Riiid - which uses AI to provide personalized learning - tap into Qualson’s user base, content, and ESL market.

https://www.techinasia.com/softbank-backed-riiid-acquires-qualson

The Korean automobile firm will also start installing Alexa into its vehicles in 2025.

https://www.techinasia.com/news/50-words-hyundai-car-brand-selling-vehicles-amazon-us-platform

The ecommerce enabler will set up a local team to speed up the development of its local network.

https://www.techinasia.com/anymind-enters-14th-market-south-korea-launch

Vietnam is following in South Korea’s footsteps by developing its automotive and semiconductor industries - and Korean execs have taken notice.

https://www.techinasia.com/visual-story/korean-founders-setting-shop-vietnam

The ecommerce boom and recovery of tourism are major contributors to this growth, which comes as more consumers adopt digital payments.

https://www.techinasia.com/digital-economy-growth-asia-outpace-western-markets-report

The company is planning to enter the US, which it called the largest private education market among English-speaking countries, by the end of 2023.

https://www.techinasia.com/south-koreas-qanda-raises-8m-develop-llm-edtech

The Singapore-based company, which presents itself as a hub for Web3 gaming, also generated US$8 million in revenue last year.

https://www.techinasia.com/netmarblebacked-iskra-takes-home-900k-profits-2022

The ecommerce giant also generated US$1.5 billion in profit, up 32% from the same period a year ago.

https://www.techinasia.com/coupang-logs-58b-revenue-net-income-recovers

Based on its website, Temu is now available in 27 markets worldwide.

https://www.techinasia.com/temu-enters-south-korean-market-asia-japan

The funding marks KKR's first tech growth investment in Korea as part of the firm's Asia Next Generation Technology strategy.

https://www.techinasia.com/musinsa-lands-190m-kkrled-grow-fashion-ecosystem-korea

Viewing time for Korean shows on Netflix has grown six-fold in just four years.

https://www.techinasia.com/news/50-words-netflix-invests-25b-kdrama-support-korean-talent

Earable's flagship product, the Frenz Brainband, helps users improve sleep, focus, and relaxation through AI-powered, personalized audio.

https://www.techinasia.com/samsung-ventures-invests-peter-thielbacked-wearable-sleeptech-firm

Through Meet Korea, the region’s startups get a first-hand look into what entering South Korea is like.

https://www.techinasia.com/quickbytes-event-bringing-south-korean-market-southeast-asias-doorstep

As part of the deal, Gogoro's battery-swapping network will be extended to seven additional South Korean cities aside from Seoul.

https://www.techinasia.com/gogoro-bikebank-launch-smart-scooter-services-korea

The South Korean fintech firm will acquire 51% of Siebert Financial Corporation, which was founded in 1967.

https://www.techinasia.com/koreas-kakao-pay-acquire-majority-stake-usbased-brokerage-firm

The launch is part of Baemin's efforts to build a lifestyle platform for the Vietnamese market.

https://www.techinasia.com/food-ordering-app-pivots-beauty-vietnam

Onda will work with Hoteliers.Guru to boost its revenue and provide a better guest experience for its partner hotels.

https://www.techinasia.com/koreas-onda-backs-thai-hospitality-startup-fuel-sea-expansion

Alchemy Pay said its valuation hit US$400 million after the capital injection from DWF Labs.

https://www.techinasia.com/sgs-alchemy-pay-secures-10m-tackle-crypto-payments-korea

The Terraform Labs founder and another individual were detained after they used forged documents for a flight to Dubai.

https://www.techinasia.com/kwon-faces-fraud-charges-arrest-montenegro

The "Amazon of South Korea" recorded a net loss of US$92 million in 2022.

https://www.techinasia.com/coupang-retains-profitability-in-q4-despite-slowing-growth

PeopleFund said it will invest the new capital to bolster its tech and expand the scope of its services. 

https://www.techinasia.com/bain-capital-leads-20m-raise-korean-digital-lender

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund and Singapore's Pwarp Investment have backed the Korean company, according to reports.

https://www.techinasia.com/kakao-entertainment-funding-pif-saudi-arabia-pwarp-investment

Backpackr's Idus plans to enter new markets in Southeast Asia with the new capital, TechCrunch reported.

https://www.techinasia.com/korean-crafts-marketplace-secures-16m-240m-valuation

Mind Cafe provides mental health management services to companies such as Samsung, Naver, and Hyundai.

https://www.techinasia.com/samsung-backs-korean-mental-health-platforms-48m-raise

Postype helps content creators monetize their work and connect to fans.

https://www.techinasia.com/korean-webtoon-platform-banks-76m

E& Enterprise also has an option to invest another US$60 million within 18 months of the deal’s completion.

https://www.techinasia.com/korean-cloud-service-provider-bags-60m-emirates-unit

Authorities are looking into Chai's launch of its Terra payment services, which may have involved using its customers' personal data without consent. 

https://www.techinasia.com/korea-launches-probe-terra-cofounder-daniel-shins-fintech-firm

Besides KakaoTalk, the accident also affected its ride-hailing, restaurant payments, news services, and game apps, a Reuters report noted.

https://www.techinasia.com/kakao-coceo-steps-fire-sends-services-offline

Shin will likely be questioned on the crash of TerraUSD and Luna, which has been linked to over US$40 billion in losses, Forkast reported.

https://www.techinasia.com/terra-cofounder-daniel-shin-testify-korea-terra-collapse

On Intella X, developers can build projects and receive compensation while users can earn by playing individual games and trading tokens.

https://www.techinasia.com/polygon-taps-neowiz-launch-web3-gaming-platform

Openull is the pioneer of buy now, pay later services in Korea, launching its Ssomee app two years ago.

https://www.techinasia.com/openull-undisclosed-pre-series-a

Dunamu will hire around 1,000 staff to fill developer roles and open consultation centers for Upbit users in Daegu, Gwangju, Busan, and Daejon, The Korea Herald reported.

https://www.techinasia.com/south-korean-fintech-firm-sets-380m-create-10000-jobs