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• Period : 24 Sep., 2025 ~ 30 Sep., 2025

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

Headline

Naver and Dunamu Merge to Build AI-Powered Web3 Platform with $6.8 Billion Investment
Naver and Dunamu merge to create a global AI-Web3 powerhouse, combining Korea’s largest internet company with the operator of Upbit exchange. The alliance will invest $6.8B over 5 years to build next-gen financial infrastructure and lead the tokenized asset era.

Latest Funding News

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

Vision AI Startup ‘Dabeeo’ Raises $8.2M to Expand Defense and Plantation AI Platforms
Korean vision AI startup Dabeeo raises $8.2M (12B KRW) pre-IPO funding led by Nonghyup Bank & NH Investment. The data intelligence platform analyzes multi-sensor imagery for mission-critical decision-making in defense & agriculture.

ButFitSeoul Raises $7M Series B to Enhance Integrated On&Off-line Fitness Platform
Korean fitness startup ButFitSeoul raises $7M Series B from Kakao Ventures, BA Partners, and new investors. The reward-based fitness platform has grown 1,200% since 2021, expanding to 16 Seoul locations with integrated online-offline experience.

FutureConnect Raises $6M Series A to Scale AI-Powered Urban Farm Network
Korean smart farm startup Future Connect raises $6M Series A to expand its AI-powered urban farming network. The company’s demand-driven model solves traditional CAPEX challenges and is now scaling into U.S. supermarket chains.

TrueValue Raises $1.36M Series A to Develop Education and HR Integrated AI SaaS and Expand to Japan
Korean edtech startup TrueValue raises $1.36M Series A, reaching $3.4M total funding. The company’s DreamAppeal platform has 70K users and 400K completed activities. Plans to develop Korea’s first education-HR AI SaaS and expand to Japan.

BESTR Closes 1st Series A Round to Scale Tungsten Circular Economy Infrastructure
Korean cleantech startup Bestr closes first Series A round from Korea Investment Partners, Korea Investment Accelerator, and others to scale tungsten refining technology. The company plans a 360-ton annual production facility to reduce China dependence on critical minerals.

KDAC Closes Pre-Series A Round Backed by Major Financial Groups to Scale Institutional Digital Asset Custody
Korean digital asset custody startup KDAC closes Pre-Series A with backing from Shinhan, NH Financial Groups, and new investor Taekwang Group. Financial institutions now hold 50%+ stake, making KDAC Korea’s only custody platform with majority financial sector ownership.

SlogK Secures Seed-Bridge Funding to Expand AI-Powered Global Retail Platform DANAYAD
Korean startup SlogK secures seed-bridge funding from MYSC and Daegu CCEI to expand DANAYAD, an AI-powered O2O platform helping Korean brands enter European markets. The Paris-based platform generated $68K in sales with 4,500+ visitors in 26 days.

Fabricduct Secures $355K Seed Funding and TIPS Selection for HVAC Innovation
Korean HVAC startup Fabricduct secures $355K seed funding from Busan CCEI, Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, and Busan United Technology Holdings, plus TIPS selection with additional $355K R&D funding for CFD-based fabric duct technology development.

SemiAI Secures Seed Funding to Revolutionize Semiconductor Yield with AI
🚀 Korean startup SemiAI raises seed funding to transform semiconductor yield with AI. Their SMILE platform cuts yield analysis from 7+ days to under 10 minutes using Agentic AI & Virtual Fab Data

SaveTheFarms Secures Seed Funding to Accelerate Eco-friendly Resource Circulation Technology and Global Expansion
SaveTheFarms, a Korean eco-friendly resource circulation startup, secures seed funding from Kingospring. The company transforms organic waste into biochar and premium products while earning TIPS·LIPS recommendation for government support.

Korean Startup Interview

Meet startups that are striving for global expansion through exclusive interviews

[Korean Startup Interview] Joomalstory: The Answer to “What Should I Do This Weekend?” for MZ Generation
Joomalstory helps 25-35 office workers find weekend activities through content curation. 130K users, 40% newsletter open rate, seeking $137K seed funding.

[Korean Startup Interview] EHAN Creative: Leading Educational Innovation in the Digital Textbook Era with Generative AI ‘Duwing’
EHAN Creative’s Duwing platform uses generative AI with 93% accuracy to reduce teacher prep time from hours to minutes. With $357K 2024 sales and government partnerships, the startup seeks seed bridge funding.

[Korean Startup Interview] MyIB: Expanding Donations and Business Success Through Matching Gift Platform ‘Give&Match’
MyIB’s Give&Match is Korea’s first matching gift SaaS platform enabling participatory corporate donations. With contracts from Kolmar Holdings and LG Uplus, the startup targets $679M market, seeking Pre-Series A funding.

[Korean Startup Interview] Hypercent: Taking on the Box Office Challenge with Backrooms Horror Co-op Game
Hypercent’s Backroom Company is a horror co-op game with unique storytelling in the Backrooms worldview. With 35M views, 70M subscriber reach, and G-Star award, the startup seeks Pre-Series A funding targeting 1M+ sales.

[Korean Startup Interview] HamadaLabs: Breaking Down AI Technology Barriers with No-Code Platform ‘WindyFlo’
HamadaLabs’ WindyFlo is a no-code LLMOps platform democratizing AI development through drag-and-drop interfaces. With 20K users from 20 countries and enterprise contracts secured, the startup seeks seed funding to expand globally.

[Korean Startup Interview] StudioMetaK: Leading the Content Industry with AI Video and Virtual Human Technology
Studio Meta K secures $21M Series A funding for AI-powered video production and virtual humans, reducing drama costs to 1/10th while achieving global-quality content. Company targets 2027-28 tech IPO with expanding B2B partnerships.

Korean Startups winning CES 2026 Innovation Awards

Omnicoat Wins CES 2026 Innovation Award with SteelChroma Toner, World’s First Dry Toner for Metal Digital Printing
Omnicoat won a CES 2026 Innovation Award in Construction & Industrial Tech for SteelChroma Toner, the world’s first dry toner for metal digital printing. The company plans to expand globally while accelerating market adoption through its new Pohang production facility opening in 2025.

AIPARK’s ‘AiVATAR’ Wins CES 2026 Innovation Award
AIPARK’s AI avatar video production solution AiVATAR won the CES 2026 Innovation Award in the Content & Entertainment category. The platform enables users to create high-quality AI avatar videos in 140 languages using only text input, revolutionizing content creation accessibility.

Others

Naver to Acquire Upbit Operator Dunamu in $10.3 Billion Deal, Creating Korean Fintech Giant
Naver is acquiring Dunamu (Upbit operator) in a $10.3B all-stock merger, creating a fintech powerhouse combining 34M+ payment users with Korea’s largest crypto exchange. The deal could pave the way for Korean won stablecoins and a potential Nasdaq IPO.