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• Period : 08 Oct., 2025 ~ 12 Oct., 2025

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

Headline

Haniverse: Building an Emotional Universe Through AI Miniature Content
Haniverse creates viral AI miniature ads, transforming everyday objects into tiny worlds. 260K followers, 120M views, expanding globally.

Korean Startup Interview

Meet startups that are striving for global expansion through exclusive interviews

THE HYUIL: “Building the Airbnb of Workation – Connecting Regions, Companies, and Digital Nomads”
THE HYUIL is a workation platform connecting governments, companies, and digital nomads. It’s expanding globally from Korea to Japan and Southeast Asia, aiming to be the “Airbnb of workation.” 

Solvook: “Building Educational Content Ecosystem with AI”
Solvook is transforming the educational content market with its AI-powered platform, connecting creators and users globally while ensuring legitimate trade.

The Service Platform: “Revolutionizing Travel Shopping with Online E-Commerce and Tax-Free Services”
The Service Platform’s Funchreward allows travelers to shop online and receive tax-free purchases at their hotels. This B2B SaaS solution targets 50M travelers in Korea, Japan, and Europe, launching in 2026 with e-commerce and airline partnerships.

Hashpurple: “Revolutionizing K-Pop Fan Culture with Transparent Crowdfunding for Global Fandom”
Hashpurple’s KDOL platform revolutionizes K-pop fan advertising by providing transparent crowdfunding for global fandoms, achieving 400,000+ downloads with 70% international users while transforming opaque fundraising into secure O4O campaigns across major venues worldwide.

Connect.ED, “Reimagining Study Abroad Through AI and Building a Lifelong Learning Ecosystem”  
Connect.ED is transforming study abroad with an AI-powered platform serving 15,000+ institutions globally, eliminating agency bias and expanding into lifelong learning through GROWTHLOG to create a complete education-to-career ecosystem.  

• VideoMonster, “Expanding to Southeast Asia with 400K Users, Scaling Travel Content API” 
• Go2Joy: “Pioneering Hourly Hotel Bookings to Transform Vietnam’s Hospitality Industry” 
• Haenyeo Kitchen Group, “Transforming Jeju’s Diving Heritage Into Immersive Culinary Theater” 
• LiveAnywhere, “Bridging the Gap Between Short Stays and Long Leases with Flexible Housing Solutions” 
• PLAYLEGEND, “Revolutionizing Indoor Sports Entertainment with Immersive Digital Theme Parks” 
• OhMyHotel&Co: “Transforming Asia’s Hotel Industry with All-in-One SaaS Platform” 
• Daebak: “Transforming K-Culture Fandom into Global Business Opportunities” 
• LBStech: Building Barrier-Free Cities for Everyone Through AI-Powered Pedestrian Data

Latest Funding News

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

‘Squid Game’ Studio Invests in Video AI Company TwelveLabs
Video AI company TwelveLabs secured strategic investment from Firstman Studio, producer of ‘Squid Game.’ Its technology finds specific scenes in hundreds of hours of footage within seconds, supporting global studios and OTT platforms.

JEJU LAVA SALT Secures Seed Investment from Jeju CCEI
JEJU LAVA SALT secured seed money from Jeju CCEI. The company produces premium salt using Jeju lava seawater, founded by a marine expert with 40 years of experience.