July, August & September 2020
Startup News Asia’s third quarter 2020 round-up of South Korea’s startup news from July, August and September.
Each news headline listed below details a tech or startup news item from Q3 2020 connected with an aspect of South Korea’s startup ecosystem; a Korean startup announcing a new service, product or VC investment, or an article covering something affecting the Korean startup ecosystem in some way, such as a government or corporate startup investment program, for instance.
The focus is obviously on South Korea’s startups, but technology and startup news headlines are included from the wider region and the world beyond where useful to provide points-of-reference, food for thought, and wider industry knowledge for Korean startups.
September 2020 | August 2020 | July 2020
Korean startup news: September 2020
- South Korea: Maeil Business Newspaper selects 3 professionals from Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar as winners for 5th edition of ASEAN Entrepreneur Award
- South Korea: Toss Lab raises $13M Series B with JANDI collaboration platform, Slack competitor, claiming 80% increase in users in Asia during COVID-19 pandemic
- South Korea: Naver Corp, country’s largest internet portal, invests in 2 Europe-focused startup funds in move to better compete with, and resist, rivals from US and China
- ICYMI: An intro to the inaugural class of the Techstars Korea Accelerator, 10 startups from Korea, Australia, Canada, Singapore, the US and the UK
- South Korea: A look at M2S, studio applying VR and AR to eye care
- South Korea: TIPS X beSUCCESS Korean Startup Showcase opens applications for potential investors in graduating startups
- South Korea: Hanwha Systems defense contractor to join state project aiming at global technology competitiveness in quantum cryptography communication
- Korea Startup Index 2019 survey results and report released and available to download, looking at local and global startup, investment and COVID-19 influenced trends
- South Korea: 120 startups selected from global applicants to Korean government-run COMEUP 2020 program for tech startups
- South Korea: WireBarley fintech secures $10M with cross-border remittances and building on partnership with Ripple blockchain-based payments network
- South Korea: An intro to the 11 startups that presented at the recent TIPS X beSUCCESS Korean Startup Showcase, each working in health and medical fields
- A brief intro to 6 South Korean startups taking part in ConnecTechAsia online tech show and conference
- A brief intro to India’s Growfitter, incentivised wellness platform recently selected for South Korea’s K-Startup Challenge program
Korean startup news: August 2020
- Digital technology has helped South Koreans cope with the pandemic. But the elderly have been left behind in the new contact-free era.
- Korea’s MVL gains $5M to accelerate supply of electric vehicles, aiming to distribute and sell estimated 10K E-TukTuks in Cambodia by 2021
- South Korea: Government to implement blockchain-based service in 2021, aiming to strengthen security of non-face-to-face medical and educational data
- South Korea: Elysia launches small-scale blockchain-based real estate investment service, allows users to invest from $92 per month
- South Korea: One million citizens have taken up blockchain-powered digital driving license since May this year, over 3% of driving population
- South Korea: Bitbit Group launches cryptocurrency payment pilot project for Busan’s Haeundae Beach System, allowing payments for water sports, life jackets and more
- Entrepreneurship World Cup South Korea National Finals set for August 25th, running virtually, online, hosted by beSUCCESS Media Group
- South Korea: Seongnam city expands blockchain-backed payments with issuance of digital gift certificates for cash, check cards, and mobile cards for use at 45K locations
- South Korea: KEB Hana Bank partners state-backed Korea Expressway Corporation highway operator for blockchain-based national toll payments system
- South Korea: Coinbit, the country’s 3rd-largest cryptocurrency exchange, reportedly seized by police over allegations it has faked most of its trading volume
- South Korea: Rowem launches integrated authentication platform to simplify online identification for web-and-mobile authentication and payments
- South Korea: Toss fintech raises $173M in drive to become financial super app, aiming for mobile securities service by year-end, and internet bank in 2021
Korean startup news: July 2020
- South Korea: An intro to 5 of the country’s AI-driven healthcare startups, working on technology scales from nano-tech to predictive
- South Korea to launch 3 news K-Startup Centres in Singapore, Sweden and Finland, building on existing presence in Seattle, Tel Aviv and New Delhi
- South Korea: Coupang e-commerce giant buys Hooq Digital assets in bid for video streaming presence across SE Asia
- An intro to 5 of South Korea’s edtech startups
- South Korea: CrossAngle secures $3.3M with Xangle cryptocurrency disclosure platform from Hanwha conglomerate
- South Korea: Try Everything tech startup fair set for September 16-18 in Seoul, with every session also live-streamed via YouTube
- South Korea: Riiid secures $41.8M with AI-backed education solutions focused on test preparation
- South Korea: COMEUP 2020 startup event set for November 19-21, with applications now open to startups for opportunity to pitch virtually
- South Korea: MyRealTrip online travel platform secures $36M with sights set on expansion to full-spectrum travel service
- South Korea: A brief intro to the startups graduating from the 6th edition of Lotte Accelerator’s L-Camp incubation program
