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• Period : 18 Aug., 2025 ~ 24 Aug., 2025

Catch up on last week’s top stories from the startup ecosystem in the Korean Startup Weekly News.

Headline

Upstage Secures $46 Million Series B Bridge Funding with Amazon and AMD Participation
Upstage raised USD 46M Series B bridge funding led by KDB with Amazon and AMD, boosting global expansion and cementing its role as Korea’s AI leader.

Korean Government News

South Korea’s Venture Investment Reaches $4.08B in H1 2025, Up 3.5% YoY
South Korea’s venture investment hit $4.08B in H1 2025 (+3.5% YoY), with fund formation reaching $4.44B (+19.4%). Two new unicorns emerged in AI semiconductors and K-beauty sectors.

Latest Funding News

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

Luxury Watch Re-commerce ‘Whatime’ Secures Pre-series A Investment
Whatime, a luxury watch re-commerce platform by Taming Lab, secured Pre-A investment from 500 Global and others to expand its global B2B network and solidify Korea’s luxury watch market position.

Bookers, a B2B Reading Platform, Secures Pre-Series A Investment
Bookers, a B2B reading platform, secured USD 746,470 (KRW 1 billion) in Pre-Series A investment from Kiros Venture Partners and Korea Value Investment, aiming for global expansion and edutech leadership.

Sorcerics Secures $1M Seed Funding to Enhance AI-Driven Ambient Computing Technology
Korean ambient AI startup Sorcerics raised $1M (approximately KRW 1.36B) seed funding from Silicon Valley’s South Park Commons to enhance product development and expand into the U.S. market.

Innerside Raises $520K Seed Funding to Accelerate Gut-Health FoodTech R&D and Expand Distribution Channel
Korean gut-health FoodTech startup Innerside secured USD 520K(KRW 700M) seed funding to accelerate R&D, scale domestic distribution, and prepare expansion into APAC and North America.

CPXSystems Secures Seed Funding to Advance AI-Based Predictive Maintenance for Wind Power Facilities
Korean startup CPXSystems raised seed funding to expand its AI-powered predictive maintenance solution for wind turbines and strengthen renewable energy innovation.

AI Model Optimization ‘CLIKA’ Secures Seed Investment from Global VCs
CLIKA, an AI model optimization platform, has secured seed investment from global VCs, including Accenture Ventures and IQT, to accelerate global B2G and B2B business development.

Amazon Invests in AI Startup Upstage in Strategic AWS Partnership
Amazon invests in Korean AI startup Upstage & forms strategic AWS partnership to scale Solar language models across Asia-Pacific markets.

Korean Startup Interview

Meet startups that are striving for global expansion through exclusive interviews

[Korean Startup Interview] BS ONE Dominates Korean Ceramic Saggars Market for Battery Cathode Production
BS ONE crafts high-performance saggars for EV batteries, targeting USD 357M market by 2026. Supplies Posco Future M, plans LFP and recycling expansion.

[Korean Startup Interview] ASTAR, Marketing AI ‘AVICA’ Certified by Major Corporations… Expanding to SMEs and Global Markets
ASTAR raises USD 0.29M seed funding for AVICA, slashing marketing time by 99.5%. Targets USD 35.71B market, aiming for SaaS launch and global expansion in AI-driven CRM solutions.