[Korean Startup Weekly News #98] Korea Targets 50 Unicorns, 10K AI Startups by 2030 with $27B Annual Venture Investment – WOWTALE

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

Headline

Korea Targets 50 Unicorns, 10K AI Startups by 2030 with $27B Annual Venture Investment Goal
Korea unveils ambitious venture strategy: targeting 50 unicorns, 10,000 AI/deeptech startups, and $27B in annual venture investment by 2030. The government launches comprehensive reforms across technology, capital, talent, and regional ecosystems to position Korea among global top 4 venture powers.

Check out the latest funding news for Korean startups 

Orum Therapeutics Secures $100M to Advance Cancer Treatment Platform
Orum Therapeutics secures $100M to advance its degrader-antibody conjugate platform for cancer treatment. The Korean biotech is developing ORM-1153 for acute myeloid leukemia, with clinical trials expected by late 2026.

Logpresso Raises $11M Series B to Accelerate AI-Powered Security Platform and Expand Overseas Market
Cloud SIEM specialist Logpresso secures $11M Series B led by KB Investment to transition to AI-powered security platform. Plans to expand globally starting with Japan’s $237M SIEM market growing at 22% annually.

Agtech Startup GINT Secures $9.8M in Pre-IPO Funding to Expand Overseas Markets
Agtech startup GINT raises $9.8M in pre-IPO funding from strategic investors including PT.Indo Agritech Investment, LIG Nex1, and Plan H Ventures. The company develops autonomous driving solutions for agriculture and plans to expand in Indonesia and Japan.

Vision AI Platform ‘Superb AI’ Secures $9.5M Pre-IPO Funding, Eyes 2026 IPO
Vision AI platform Superb AI raises $9.5M Pre-IPO funding from Hanwha Asset Management and POSCO Technology Investment, bringing total funding to $42.8M. The company serves 100+ clients including Samsung, Toyota, and Hyundai, and targets a 2026 IPO.

Arcreal Raises $5.4M Pre-Series A to Develop Dental AI Foundation Model and Expand to U.S.
AI healthcare startup Arcreal secures $5.4M Pre-Series A from DSC Investment and SDB Investment. Developed intraoral scanner “arcscan” with FDA approval, building dental AI platform with 3D vision foundation model. Plans U.S. expansion in 2025.

PURESPACE Raises $4.1M Series A to Enhance Fresh Food Shelf-life Extension Technology and Expand Globally
Foodtech startup PURESPACE raises $4.1M Series A from Altos Ventures with technology that reduces ethylene gas by 90%, cutting food waste by 50% and doubling shelf life. Validated by Carrefour and major U.S. retailers.

alt-a Raises Series A to Scale AI-Powered Last-Mile Traffic Safety
alt-a secured Series A funding to expand altPlus, an edge AI CCTV platform delivering real-time last-mile traffic insights, smart city automation, and scalable global infrastructure.

PhyxUp Health Secures Seed Funding to Expand AI-Powered Remote Therapeutic Monitoring Platform Across US
Korean-founded PhyxUp Health secures seed funding from Korea Investment Accelerator to expand AI-powered Remote Therapeutic Monitoring platform across U.S. rehabilitation market. Used by Harvard Medical School-affiliated institutions.    

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.