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• Period : 20 Oct., 2025 ~ 26 Oct., 2025

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

Headline

Habitfactory Raises $26M Series D to Accelerate Global AI Finance Expansion into U.S. and Japan
Habitfactory raised USD 26M Series D to accelerate its AI-driven insurance and mortgage expansion in the U.S. and Japan ahead of an IPO readiness push.

Latest Funding News

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‘bemyfriends’ Raises 15.3 Million to Accelerate Global Expansion of Fandom Business Platform b.stage
bemyfriends secured USD 15.3 million from Goodwater Capital, reinforcing global expansion and scaling of its customizable B2B fandom-business platform b.stage.

Retentics Secures Series A Bridge II Funding to Scale AI Email Marketing Agent for Global D2C Brands
Korean startup FridaysLab operating AI-driven marketing platform ‘retentics’ raised Series A Bridge II funding to expand its AI email marketing agent globally, delivering up to 22% revenue lift without increasing send volume.

WiLCO Secures USD 3.8 Million Series A Investment, Recognized for Defense, Automotive, and AI Material Technology
WiLCO secured USD 3,846,154 (KRW 5 billion) Series A funding, recognized for defense, automotive, and AI material tech, with global clients like Hanwha Systems and LG.

ARTRAMI Secures Series A Funding to Scale D2C Art-Commerce Brand ‘tounou’ and Accelerate Global Expansion
Korean startup ARTRAMI, operator of D2C art-commerce brand tounou, raised Series A funding to expand artist onboarding automation, SKU lineup, and global reach in Japan and the U.S.

eRoun&Company Secures USD 1.4M Pre-Series A to Lead Global AI Governance and Security Market
eRoun&Company raised USD 1.4M Pre-Series A to scale its AI governance platform SAIFE X, enhancing secure enterprise AI adoption and accelerating expansion into the Japanese market.

TeamXerocode Secures Seed Bridge Investment from TIPS Operator
TeamXerocode secured seed bridge investment to advance its AI SaaS platform ‘aness’, focusing on global sales, data enhancement, and market expansion.

Zetrone Secures Seed Funding from Bluepoint Partners to Pioneer AI-Driven Low-Carbon White Bio Manufacturing
Zetrone raised seed funding from Bluepoint to advance its LTP-SynBio-AI white bio platform, targeting sustainable, net-zero chemical manufacturing while strengthening national biosecurity advantage.

Korean Startup Interview

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Splab, “Umoh AI: Fully Automated 10K+ Attendee Conferences Start here.”
Splab Inc.’s Umoh platform uses AI for business matching, real-time operations, and ROI analytics in events. With customers in the U.S. and Japan, ISO certifications, and Korea’s Tourism Global Challenge support, it’s expanding in the $500B events market. 

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.” 

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.

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.

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