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

Headline

AITRICS Secures $23.9M Series C to Advance AI Healthcare Solutions and Global Expansion
Korean medical AI startup AITRICS raises $23.9M Series C to enhance its patient deterioration prediction and AI copilot solutions, with plans to expand across Asia and North America through partnerships including Mayo Clinic Platform.

Korean Government News

South Korea Approves Record $11.3B Budget for SMEs and Startups in 2026
South Korea approved a record $11.2 billion budget for SMEs and startups in 2026, an 8.4% increase focusing on an all-time high $1.5 billion for R&D, the Korea Fund of Funds, and new support programs for startups and smart factory adoption.

Latest Funding News

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

SelectStar Closes $17.7M Series B for Finance-specialized AI Data pipeline and Reliability Evaluation Solution
Korean AI data startup SelectStar raises $3.8M Series B extension from Samsung Venture Investment, Mirae Asset, and Flux Ventures, bringing total Series B to $17.7M as its reliability evaluation platform gains traction with top financial institutions.

SionicAI Raises $17M Series A to Scale Enterprise AI Platform Across Asia
Korean enterprise AI startup SIONICAI secures $17M Series A from Naver Cloud, IBK, and 10+ VCs to scale its STORM Platform—a no-code LLM solution for building secure AI agents—across Japan and Southeast Asia.

Marketing Platform ‘Boosters’ Raises $13.6M to Scale K-Brand Partners Globally
FSN’s subsidiary Boosters raises $13.6M from SBI Investment, targeting $136M post-money valuation. The K-brand builder achieved $115M revenue in 2025, up from just $136K in 2019, aiming for $680M valuation in 3 years

Portrai Raises $9.8M Series B to Advance AI-Powered Spatial Biology Platform for Drug Discovery
Korean techbio Portrai raises $9.8M Series B to advance AI-powered spatial biology platform for drug discovery. The company has built the world’s largest spatial transcriptomics cancer database and secured partnerships with Amgen and Celltrion.

Vuno Secures $6.8M Strategic Investment from Smilegate Investment to Drive Global Growth
Korean medical AI company Vuno secures $6.8M strategic investment from Smilegate Investment to accelerate US and European market expansion. Awaiting FDA clearance for flagship product VUNO Med®-DeepCARS®.

WorkerInSpace Raises $6.1M Pre-Series A for On-Orbit Service Combining Humanoid Robotics with Satellite Technology
Korean space startup WorkerInSpace raises $6.1M pre-Series A led by IMM Investment to develop robotic satellites for on-orbit servicing. First Korean company with 3D microgravity simulation facility eyes global satellite maintenance market.

Shareit Secures $5.4M to Expand AI-Powered Event Space Platform Across Asia
Korean event space platform Shareit raises $5.4M led by Korea Development Bank. The B2B booking platform achieved profitability in 2024 with $6.8M revenue and plans to expand AI solutions and popup store services across Asia.

ORBITERS Secures Series A Funding to Expand Global K-Kids Brand Operations
Korean kids brand export startup ORBITERS raises $2M+ Series A from Hana Ventures & Lotte Ventures. The company’s full-integration model handles everything from branding to retail in US/Canada/Japan markets, achieving 70% annual growth with its data-driven platform ORBITOOL. Targeting $204M revenue by 2026.

PowerCubeSemi Secures $4.1M Pre-IPO Funding Ahead of KOSDAQ Listing
Next-gen compound semiconductor specialist PowerCubeSemi raises $4.1M in pre-IPO funding from Korea Development Bank Capital, KB Securities, Kakao Pay Securities, and Sopoong Ventures. The company operates the world’s first dedicated gallium oxide mass production fab and plans to file for KOSDAQ listing by January 2026.

Omelet Secures Pre-Series A to Scale AI Agent Platform and Speed up Decision Automation across Industrial Settings
Korean AI startup Omelet raises pre-Series A funding from Korea Development Bank and Hyundai Technology Investment to scale its no-code optimization platform that automates decision-making in manufacturing, logistics, and defense.

Walk101 Secures Seed Funding and TIPS Selection for AI-Powered Musculoskeletal X-ray Analysis
Korean medical AI startup Walk101 secures seed funding from MYSC and TIPS selection for its musculoskeletal X-ray interpretation platform. The company’s integrated AI model analyzes 20+ body sites and is expanding into Southeast Asia with KFDA certifications and PACS integrations.

EverySim Secures Seed Funding to Enhance Cloud and AI-based Engineering Simulation Solutions
Korean startup Everysim raises seed funding from 500 Global for AI-powered cloud simulation platform. EveryDrone wins CES 2026 Innovation Award, automating aerospace & manufacturing design analysis in minutes. Targeting US market expansion.

TIRIPS Raises Seed Funding for AI-Powered Nanomaterial Lab Automation Platform
Korean deep tech startup TIRIPS secures seed funding from MYSC for its NEXA platform, an AI-powered lab automation system that digitizes nanomaterial experiments. The company plans to develop self-driving lab technology and expand into global markets with a cloud-based SaaS model.

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

Geeks Loft Wins CES 2026 Best of Innovation Award with Smart Headphones ‘Perisphere’
Geeks Loft’s smart headphones ‘Perisphere’ won the Best of Innovation award in the headphones category at CES 2026. As the world’s first device combining auditory and visual functions, Perisphere is an all-in-one device capable of music listening, video watching, 3D recording, and real-time sharing, with a global launch planned for 2026.