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• Period : 23 Feb., 2026 ~ 01 Mar., 2026

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

Headline

BOS Semiconductors Raises $60.2M Series A to Commercialize AI Chips for Autonomous Vehicles
South Korea’s BOS Semiconductors has closed a $60.2M Series A — one of the largest early-stage rounds in Korean startup history — to mass-produce its Eagle-N AI chip for autonomous vehicles and expand globally.

Korean Government

Korea Pushes to Turn Japan Diplomatic Ties Into Real Biotech and Startup Deals
Korea’s MSS VP Roh spent Feb 26 in Tokyo turning diplomatic ties into real deals — MOUs with Astellas, Ono & Maruho, K-Bio Lab Hub ties with Shonan I-Park, and a K-StartHub link with CIC Tokyo.

Latest Funding News

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

UVify Lands $41.7M — the Biggest Single Drone Investment in Korean History
UVify raises $41.7M (60B KRW) from CRIT Ventures & NXC — the largest-ever single drone investment in Korea. The global swarm drone leader is now pushing into defense and physical AI.

ITChem Raises $27.8M via Convertible Bond to Build Next-Gen Pharmaceutical Plant
South Korea’s ITChem raises $27.8M (₩40B) via convertible bonds to build a GMP pharmaceutical plant focused on obesity & diabetes APIs. HY24, the world’s largest clean hydrogen fund manager, joins as a strategic investor in its first-ever Korean deal. 

RLWRLD Raises $26M in Seed 2 Round to Scale Physical AI Across Industrial Sites
Korea’s physical AI startup RLWRLD raises $26M in Seed 2, bringing total seed funding to $41M. Backed by Headline Asia, Z Venture Capital, CJ Logistics & Lotte Ventures. Robotics foundation model coming H1 2026.

Uniqconn Raises $12.85M Series B to Bring Cable-Free Chip Technology to Mass Market
Korean chip startup Uniqconn just raised $12.85M Series B to take its 60GHz cable-free semiconductor UC60 to mass production — with humanoid robots and autonomous vehicles next in its sights. 

Pensive Raises $6.8M Seed Round to Scale AI-Assisted Grading and Personalized Learning
Pensive raises $6.8M seed round led by Mayfield to scale its AI-assisted grading platform, now open to all instructors. Used by 1,000+ instructors & 100+ institutions.

ROOTRIX Raises $3.12M Series A to Eliminate Supply Uncertainty in Korea’s Landscaping Industry
Korean tree distribution startup ROOTRIX raises $3.12M Series A to bring price & delivery certainty to landscaping contractors across South Korea.

NETFORM R&D Raises $2.8M Pre-IPO Round to Deepen Building Renovation Tech. and AI-based Safety Tech.
South Korea’s NETFORM R&D raised $2.78M in a pre-IPO round from Wi Ventures. With 50% annual revenue growth and 60 patents, the building renovation tech firm plans global expansion and AI safety tech acquisitions ahead of a 2026 IPO.

Sasasa Secures $450,000 Seed Round, Targets Premium Sauna Market with IoT and AI
Korean wellness startup Sasasa raises $450K seed round backed by Busan CCEI, also selected for govt Pre-TIPS program. Plans flagship sauna store in Seoul H1 2026 + B2B SaaS rollout.

Holoceive Secures Seed Funding to Expand AI-Powered AR Goods Platform in Japan
South Korean AR goods startup Holoceive secures seed funding from Mashup Ventures to expand its AI-powered EffectMate platform in Japan.

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.

Korean Venture Capital News

Korea’s The Invention Lab Backs Singapore AI Computing Startup RIDM in Seed Round
Korea’s The Invention Lab and London’s QRT back Singapore AI startup RIDM, whose DODA architecture targets AI’s memory wall bottleneck with a decade-defying breakthrough.