KoreaTechDesk | Korean Startup and Technology News

Mon, September 01, 2025

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Korea Federation of SMEs to Launch K-Goods Fair 2026 in Las Vegas, Expanding U.S. Market Access for Korean Startups

As Korean SMEs look to secure stronger footholds in global markets, the United States is emerging as one of the most strategic destinations for expansion. Building on $49.9M in contracts signed at the Atlanta convention earlier this year, the Korea Federation of SMEs (KBIZ) is taking the next step with…
by Daehyun Song . 1 Sep 2025

Latest Article

Zombie Startups Phenomenon: Nearly Half of Korea’s Sanctioned R&D Firms Collapsed

With Korea’s startup ecosystem continues to depend on government-backed R&D programs, new data reveals a stark reality: nearly half of…

by Dae-jung Park . 31 Aug 2025
Korea Venture Capital Association and KOFIA Join Forces Under New BDC Law to Expand Risk Capital for Startups

Korea’s venture capital and financial markets are joining forces to close the funding gap for startups. The Korea Venture Capital…

by Chloe kim . 31 Aug 2025
KOCCA Launches ‘CONTENT IP XCELERATE IN SINGAPORE’ to Drive K-Content Global Expansion

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) has opened applications for its new “CONTENT IP XCELERATE IN SINGAPORE” program, designed to…

by Chloe kim . 30 Aug 2025
Korea Doubles 2026 Mother Fund to Record $1.5B, Launches $74B Growth Fund for AI and Deep Tech

South Korea is significantly scaling up its startup and innovation financing, doubling the size of its 2026 Mother Fund to…

by Zee Cindy . 30 Aug 2025
New $74M Busan Innovation Scale-Up Fund Targets $147M in Startup Investment for Regional Growth

Korea is accelerating efforts to decentralize startup investment beyond Seoul. With the launch of the ₩101.1B ($74M) Busan Innovation Scale-Up…

by Daehyun Song . 29 Aug 2025
Startup Korea Fund 2025 Launches at ₩640B ($475M): First Global Participation Across Deep-Tech and Open Innovation

The stakes are rising in Korea’s venture ecosystem. With ₩640 billion ($475 million) now committed, the Startup Korea Fund 2025…

by Dae-jung Park . 29 Aug 2025

Popular posts

South Korea’s AI hardware innovation is stepping…
by Daehyun Song . 20 Aug 2025

Korea’s AI ecosystem is gaining global traction, and one of its most prominent startups has just secured a new milestone.…
by Dae-jung Park . 20 Aug 2025

As digital services face unpredictable surges in online demand, STCLab is helping enterprises turn traffic from a liability into a…
by Chloe kim . 19 Aug 2025

The meeting between Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Korean SME With Masters Inc. has placed a spotlight on a US$8.5…
by Chloe kim . 22 Aug 2025

Korea is moving to reshape its startup landscape with bold financial reforms tied to its ambition of becoming the top…
by Dae-jung Park . 23 Aug 2025

MOST READ ARTICLE OF THE WEEK

Rebellions: First Korean AI Chipmaker to Establish Saudi Subsidiary, Targeting Middle East Sovereign AI Market

South Korea’s AI hardware innovation is stepping onto one of the world’s fastest-growing stages. Rebellions, an AI semiconductor startup backed…

by Daehyun Song . 20 Aug 2025

Upstage Teams with AWS to Scale Solar LLM in APAC and US, Signaling Confidence in Korea’s AI Innovation

Korea’s AI ecosystem is gaining global traction, and one of its most prominent startups has just secured a new milestone.…

by Dae-jung Park . 20 Aug 2025
Use GPT-5 Without Paying: Korean AI Startup Wrtn Launches Unlimited Free Access

Wrtn Technologies, a Korean artificial intelligence (AI) service platform company, has announced it will provide unlimited free access to GPT-5,…

by Zee Cindy . 10 Aug 2025
AIM Intelligence secures $1.3M Pre-A to set global standard in generative AI security

AIM Intelligence has raised $1.3 million in a Pre-A round as demand for safe, aligned AI reaches unprecedented levels. The…

by KoreaTechDesk Writer . 7 Aug 2025
Korea Doubles 2026 Mother Fund to Record $1.5B, Launches $74B Growth Fund for AI and Deep Tech

South Korea is significantly scaling up its startup and innovation financing, doubling the size of its 2026 Mother Fund to a record ₩2 trillion ($1.5B) and unveiling a new ₩100 trillion ($74B) National Growth Fund. The measures mark the largest government-backed capital commitments for Korea’s startup and strategic industry ecosystem to date, particularly in AI, deep tech, semiconductors, and biotech. It signals a decisive shift toward long-horizon capital for future industries. Record Expansion of Korea’s 2026 Mother Fund The Ministry of Economy and Finance confirmed on August 29 that the Mother Fund (Fund of Funds) allocation will rise from ₩989.6 billion in 2025 to ₩1.9997 trillion (approximately $1.5 billion) in 2026 — the largest increase since the fund’s inception. The breakdown of allocations includes: ₩600 billion (~$444M) dedicated to advanced-industry unicorn development. ₩800 billion (~$593M) for “re-challenge” entrepreneurs, up sharply from ₩100 billion. The startup package budget will also rise from ₩1.538 trillion to ₩1.624 trillion (~$1.20B), including AI & Deep Tech specialization supporting 175 companies. As in previous years, the Mother Fund will be leveraged through private capital and…

30 Aug 2025
Boosting Startup Exits: Korea’s Pension Fund Pool Commits ₩40B ($29M) in First-Ever Venture Investment

For the first time since its establishment in 2001, Korea’s Pension Fund Pool is stepping into venture capital. With a…

28 Aug 2025
First Foreign Unicorn in Sight: Expanded Startup Korea Special Visa, Regional Hubs, and Tailored Founder Support

A year after launching the Global Startup Center, South Korea is doubling down on inbound startup growth with expanded policies…

27 Aug 2025
Korea Shields Export SMEs with Three-Tier Support Amid U.S. Tariff Challenges

As global trade headwinds intensify, Korea is moving quickly to shield its export-driven small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the…

24 Aug 2025
Korea Startup Forum Selects 15 Tourism Innovators for “COMEUP in Jeju” Global Conference

As South Korea focuses on tourism as its startup growth driver, the Korea Startup Forum has finalized the selection of 15 startups and founder teams for “COMEUP in Jeju.” As a part of the main COMEUP 2025 event, the two-day global conference designed to strengthen Korea’s tourism innovation ecosystem, connecting startups with investors, industry leaders, and cross-border opportunities. Korea Startup Forum Finalizes Tourism-Focused Startup Delegation The Korea Startup Forum (KOSPO) has announced the final selection of 15 startup and founder teams that will participate in “COMEUP in Jeju”, a global tourism innovation conference scheduled for September 10–11. The program, held in partnership with Jeju Special Self-Governing Province, Jeju Tourism Organization, and Jeju Dream Tower Complex Resort, is designed to strengthen the growth and international reach of Korea’s tourism-focused startups. Global Conference to Connect Tourism Startups and Investors “COMEUP in Jeju” will convene tourism startups, investors from Korea, China, and Japan, and major corporations. As a regional extension of COMEUP 2025, the event aims to expand international networks while spotlighting tourism startups as a sector with growing global competitiveness for Korea’s…

26 Aug 2025
Korean Startups Drive Global Push as COMEUP Stars 2025 Records 27.9:1 Competition

As Korea sharpens its focus on global startup expansion, COMEUP Stars 2025 has emerged as a critical barometer of founder…

26 Aug 2025
KOCCA LAUNCHPAD UAE 2025: AI, XR, Smart Tourism & Lifestyle — Korea’s Proven Innovations Arrive in Dubai

KOCCA LAUNCHPAD UAE 2025 — organized by the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) in collaboration with Cuvee April and Plug…

12 Aug 2025
Invitation to Japan’s SaaS Leaders: Meet Korea’s Top SaaS companies at GSMP Tokyo 2025

Japan’s enterprise leaders, system integrators, and venture investors are invited to connect with nine of Korea’s most innovative Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)…

12 Aug 2025
Reimagining Real Estate Development with AI: Meet the Founders of Zenerate

What if you could design smarter buildings in minutes instead of months—and boost returns while doing it? That’s the vision…

by Aditi Dave . 4 Jun 2025
Mednaath CEO Nitish Kumar on Revolutionizing Multilingual Customer Service with Voice AI in Korea & Beyond

Mednaath is a company founded by Nitish Kumar, IIT Alumni, in India in 2021 and expanded to South Korea in…

by Dae-jung Park . 1 Jun 2025
Pioneering Precision: How South Korea’s Galux is Redefining Antibody Discovery with AI

Korean biotech startup Galux Inc. is making waves on the global stage with its groundbreaking AI-driven platform, GaluxDesign, designed to…

by Aditi Dave . 26 May 2025
Korea Federation of SMEs to Launch K-Goods Fair 2026 in Las Vegas, Expanding U.S. Market Access for Korean Startups

As Korean SMEs look to secure stronger footholds in global markets, the United States is emerging as one of the…

by Daehyun Song . 1 Sep 2025

Korea Venture Capital Association and KOFIA Join Forces Under New BDC Law to Expand Risk Capital for Startups

Korea’s venture capital and financial markets are joining forces to close the funding gap for startups. The Korea Venture Capital…

by Chloe kim . 31 Aug 2025
KOCCA Launches ‘CONTENT IP XCELERATE IN SINGAPORE’ to Drive K-Content Global Expansion

The Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) has opened applications for its new “CONTENT IP XCELERATE IN SINGAPORE” program, designed to…

by Chloe kim . 30 Aug 2025
APEC SME Week 2025 Opens in Jeju: Ministers and 5,000 Delegates Unite to Shape Next-Gen Growth Strategies

Jeju has become the focal point for the Asia-Pacific’s SME agenda this week. APEC SME Week 2025, running September 1–5,…

by Chloe kim . 29 Aug 2025
Unlocking Innovation: How Startups Can Leverage IMDA’s Open Innovation Platform

In today’s fast-evolving digital landscape, innovation is key to staying ahead. Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has taken a…

4 Apr 2025
Factagora Launches South Korea’s First Cloud-Based AI Legal Service at Law Firm Shin & Kim

In a first of its kind instance in South Korea’s legal industry, prominent law firm Shin & Kim has implemented…

25 Dec 2024
Top Co-working Spaces for Startups & Companies to Explore in South Korea

For startups, the beginning years are the most crucial ones, when the pitches to VCs are to be made, teams…

3 Apr 2024
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POPULAR POSTS

South Korea’s AI hardware innovation is stepping…
by Daehyun Song . 20 Aug 2025

Korea’s AI ecosystem is gaining global traction, and one of its most prominent startups has just secured a new milestone.…
by Dae-jung Park . 20 Aug 2025

As digital services face unpredictable surges in online demand, STCLab is helping enterprises turn traffic from a liability into a…
by Chloe kim . 19 Aug 2025

The meeting between Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Korean SME With Masters Inc. has placed a spotlight on a US$8.5…
by Chloe kim . 22 Aug 2025

Korea is moving to reshape its startup landscape with bold financial reforms tied to its ambition of becoming the top…
by Dae-jung Park . 23 Aug 2025

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