Domestic News

Exit/Investment
B2B AI startup 'Dalpa' secures 12 billion won in pre-A investment
Fashion recommerce 'Charan' secures 10 billion won in Series A investment
'Sijee', a clothing supply chain digital transformation company, secures 2 billion won in pre-A investment
'The Sleep Factory', a snoring management company, secures 2 billion won in Series A investment
'Higher Diversity', a foreign resident support company, secures 1 billion won in investment
'Rover Company', an agricultural IP startup, secures 500 million won in seed investment
Molecular Innovations secures 200 million won in seed investment
SW·AI Edtech 'Codemoss' secures Series A investment
'Recle', a used clothing collection service, secures Series A investment
Overmaps, the operator of 'Zello', a subscription service for home appliances and household goods, secures investment
'Team Limited', a target marketing company, secures seed investment from a UK-based VC
Web3 game platform 'Iskra' secures investment from Animoca Brands
Delightroom makes a strategic investment in 'Soundable Health', a digital healthcare company
Wadiz reduces operating losses last year, plans to pursue IPO this year
Innospace passes preliminary listing review for Kosdaq
Lunit issues convertible bonds to raise funds for 'Volpara' acquisition
Kakao issues 285 billion won in convertible bonds to fund AI
Shinhan Venture Investment has an AUM of 1.6 trillion won and expects performance fees this year

Performance/Indicators
Kakao Certificate surpasses 40 million users in 3 years
'Lookfin', a men's fashion company, sees a 3,000% increase in operating profit compared to last year, achieving 8 consecutive years of profit
AI·SW Edtech 'Gureum' records 14.4 billion won in revenue last year, achieving 2 consecutive years of profit
'Day One Company', an adult education company, records 1.1 billion won in operating profit last year, turning profitable
'Qanda' selected as one of 'Time's 250 Best Edtech Companies in the World in 2024'
'Enoma' introduces 'Todo' school services to over 430 elementary schools
'OpsNow' reduces cloud costs by 65%, expands into the US market
WiseA.I. acquires 9 AI chatbot patents in Japan
Toss Insurance surpasses 1,500 face-to-face sales agents
'High', obtains approval for clinical confirmation of dementia diagnosis digital medical device
'Ezbreed' receives approval from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety for respiratory rehabilitation digital therapeutic devices
'No Eul' presents two clinical performance studies at the African Society
Beauty lens platform 'Wink' surpasses 1 million cumulative downloads
'Everyone's Parking Lot' sees a 38% year-on-year growth in monthly regular parking pass sales
'Abeli', sees a 2x increase in transaction volume for fast delivery 'Shakchulbal'

Launch/Update
Naver Cloud launches new HypercloverX model 'Dash'
Naver Knowledge iN allows unlimited answers and acceptance of questions without closing
DeepL launches AI writing assistant 'DeepL Write Pro' in Korea
'Remote', a decentralized workforce recruitment and management platform, launches its Korean service
'AnyAI' opens a hamburger cooking robot demo center in New York
'Nider' opens AI chatbot 'Gupgutok'
SKT launches AI simultaneous interpretation solution
Hyundai Motor launches electric commercial vehicle platform 'ST1'
Kakao Mobility opens 'Autocharging' service for electric vehicles
Kakao Mobility launches robot delivery service 'Bring'
Kakao Pay launches 'K-Pass', a refund-type transportation card, next month
'Mobievation' launches 'Bon Air', a helicopter call service between Gangnam and Incheon Airport
'Deep Search' launches 'Listing', a platform for small-scale M&A brokerage
'Zangle' launches 'ZangleERP', an integrated ERP solution for Web3
'Adjust' launches AI mobile analytics 'Insights'
'Mathematics with Heart' releases customized middle school math AI courseware

Partnered Services
Wefun | Why did Wefun acquire an in-house cafe company?
Quotabook | Stock/Stock Option Platform Used by Toss and Danggeun
Frix | Contract Management SaaS - From Electronic Contracts to Tax Invoices
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WiseApp·Retail | Korean App Usage, Payment, Online Purchase Data

Policies/Support
MSS, launches 'Startup Korea Fund' worth 800 billion won
Mother Fund revives local accounts after 4 years, raises 800 billion won
MSS establishes a regional angel investment hub in Gyeongsangbuk-do
MSS, long-term vacancy of heads of affiliated institutions
MST, delays director-level personnel appointments for 2 months
MLT, launches integrated public MaaS app for scooters, aviation, etc.
KDB, launches 'Innovation 1', a solution to address complex business needs
KDB, holds a startup investment event in Silicon Valley, USA
KDB, plans to establish 'KDB Next One Busan'
Woori Financial Group opens Dino Lab Vietnam Center in Hanoi
Sofong Ventures, recruiting participants for climate-specific acceleration
MYSC, recruiting participating companies for 2024 maritime and fisheries acceleration
Asan Nanum Foundation, publishes analysis cases of 9 climate-tech and femtech companies

Industry Trends
Japanese government pressures Naver to sell Line stake
Naver & Kakao, startup investments at record low
Kakao, reviewing use of English name
→Kakao Games, abandons use of English name
Toss & Shinsegae, SSG & Smilepay divestiture fails
Coupang, refutes allegations of preferential treatment for PB products
'Zigzag', ends new business 'Zigzag Mate' after 11 months
'Enlighten', completes construction of a 3MW rooftop solar power plant for Daedong Mobility
Kakao Mobility applies a 2.8% franchise fee, fulfilling the win-win agreement
Kakao Entertainment, holds in-house tech conference 'Ensite 24'
'Caring', a nursing startup, sends outstanding employees on an overseas training program to Japan
Wanted Lab, hosts 'Youth Career Summit' with Vietnamese student association
Futureplay, partners with 'Briscan Young', a C-level specialized headhunting firm
MYSC, appoints Ewon Jung, a venture partner specializing in the F&B sector
T-Order, begins full-fledged expansion into the US, deploys Vice President Woo Jae
'Milli's Library', operates a pop-up store at The Hyundai Seoul
Buzzvil-Queenit, partners on Buzzbenefit solution
Infrun-GBSA, Pangyo after-work meetup