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• Period : 26 Jan., 2026 ~ 1 Feb., 2026

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

Headline

South Korea Unveils “Nation-Led Startup Initiative” to Support 5K Founders with Up to $700K Each
South Korea launches “Nation-Led Startup Initiative” to identify 5,000 entrepreneurial talents with support reaching up to $712,000 for top performers. By 2030, the government plans 10 startup cities, 50 local commercial hubs, and a $713 million second-chance fund.

Korean Government

Seoul Unveils Vision to Become Global Physical AI Leader
Seoul declares vision to become global physical AI leader, transforming the entire city into a real-world testbed. Plans include AI belt connecting Yangjae and Suseo clusters, Level 4 robotaxis by October, and $1.5B investment in infrastructure and startups by 2030.

Latest Funding News

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

1ST Biotherapeutics Closes $21.8M Series D, Taps IPO Underwriter as Clinical Trials Advance
Korean biotech 1ST Biotherapeutics closes oversubscribed $21.8M Series D led by Smilegate Investment. With IPO underwriter on board, the AI-powered drug developer is accelerating HPK1 inhibitor trials and eyeing a public debut.

Chazm Secures $10.3M Series A to Transform Auto Lease and Rental Market
Korean auto lease platform Chazm raises $10.3M Series A led by Stonebridge to expand data-driven vehicle lifecycle management globally.

GIGR Raises $5.4M Pre-Seed to Automate Creative Workflows with AI Agent-Powered Marketing Solutions
San Francisco-based Korean AI marketing startup GIGR raises $5.4M pre-seed led by BRV Capital to automate creative workflows with multi-agent AI platform.

NEXT LEVEL Studio Raises $2.4M in Series A to Expand Global Webtoon IP Business
Korean webtoon company NEXT LEVEL Studio secures $2.4M Series A to expand global IP business. The studio behind hit titles is accelerating OSMU expansion into video, games & merchandise while scaling internationally.

Pablo Air Secures Strategic Investment from Korean Air to Advance Swarm AI Drone Technology
Korean swarm AI drone startup Pablo Aviation secures strategic investment from Korean Air to jointly develop next-gen UAV tech and MRO inspection systems. Their InspecX won CES 2026 Innovation Award.

Korean AI Cloud Startup aieev Secures $415K Pre-Series A Investment
Aieev raises $415K to scale its decentralized AI cloud that taps idle GPUs—cutting enterprise inference costs 40% vs traditional data centers. 

Pierrot Company Secures Investment for Global IT Device Redistribution Expansion
Pierrot Company secures funding from SparkLabs & CNTTech to expand its global IT device redistribution platform, targeting circular economy growth.

TeamKai Secures Seed Funding for AI Customer Service Agent Platform
TeamKai, founded by ex-Myrealtrip COO, raises seed funding from Sparklabs & Murex Partners. The AI customer service platform hits 60%+ task completion with near-zero hallucinations.

Pointbreak Secures Seed Funding from Altos Ventures for bttr Skincare Launch
Pointbreak, founded by SATUR creator Hochul Son, secures seed funding from Altos Ventures to launch bttr skincare brand with March debut. 

Korean Startup Interview

Meet startups that are striving for global expansion through exclusive interviews

[Korean Startup Interview] UBITAS Biotech: Pioneering Next-Generation Protein Degradation Technology to Transform Cancer Treatment
UBITAS Biotech is pioneering Protea-Tac, a first-in-class protein degradation platform that eliminates disease-causing proteins without ubiquitin, achieving proven anti-cancer results.

[Korean Startup Interview] BioArchers: Revolutionizing Oral Drug Delivery with NanoLink™ Platform Technology
BioArchers develops NanoLink™, an oral drug delivery platform using mesoporous silica nanoparticles to transform injectable peptide drugs like GLP-1 into once-weekly oral treatments with dramatically improved bioavailability.