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February 2020: Now for my next trick: CoinDesk 📈 Styleshare raises $20M 💅 Coronavirus on the economy 😷
Startup Seoul newsletter [2/27/2020] Hello friends, It’s been an eventful month -- not the least due to the coronavirus and Korea’s Shincheonji church taking over headlines worldwide. While manufacturing sectors like autos and smart devices as well as events are...
February 2020: Now for my next trick: CoinDesk 📈 Styleshare raises $20M 💅 Coronavirus on the economy 😷
Startup Seoul newsletter [2/27/2020] Hello friends, It’s been an eventful month -- not the least due to the coronavirus and Korea’s Shincheonji church taking over headlines worldwide. While manufacturing sectors like autos and smart devices as well as events are...
JANUARY 2020: Happy new year 🎉 Korea’s ‘Minority Report’ 🔍 Spoon gets $38M 📻
Startup Seoul newsletter [01/30/2020] Hello friends, The scene in Asia as the coronavirus spreads, as it plays out in the drama that is Western media, is like “Contagion” coming to life. I hope you’re all staying safe and infection-free. As I curated this month’s...
DECEMBER 2019: Viva Republica’s unicorn floatie and growing dreams 🎠 Woowa’s $4B acquisition 🎂
Startup Seoul newsletter [12/18/2019] Hello friends, The end-of-year flurry of activity is upon us and plenty of South Korean tech stars have taken headlines: Food delivery app-maker Woowa Bros. is being acquired for $4 billion, biotech company Aprogen Inc. became the...
NOVEMBER 2019: Can a Japanese-Korean internet duo challenge Amazon and Alibaba? 💹 Kakao sales reach record high ♨
Startup Seoul newsletter [11/27/2019] Hello friends, The LINE-Yahoo Japan merger announced this month was an intriguing one to me -- not so much that it teamed together Korean and Japanese internet powerhouses Naver and Softbank in a 50-50 joint venture, called Z...
OCTOBER 2019: A Korean startup is fueling a World Series rally cry; WeMakePrice raises $334M; A Korean TikTok?
Hello friends, It’s one of my favorite times of year: World Series baseball. My team, the LA Dodgers, is out, but I’m rooting for the Washington Nationals -- and who would have thought that a Korean startup was so strongly connected to their run up to the Fall...
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2019: Viva Republica Raises $64M; Braille Tablet Dot Pad Is Here
Hello friends, Welcome back from an extended summer break. Things are finally starting to heat up on the investment front in Korea, including a $64 million boost to Toss developer Viva Republica and M&As by Kakao Mobility, Yanolja and LG Household & Health...
JULY 2019: Flitto goes IPO; Zigbang raises $136M; Hello from Uganda
Hello friends, Greetings from Uganda, where I’m exploring lush East African landscapes and appreciating the simple life Meanwhile in South Korea, the money has been warming up, with funding rounds for future unicorn Zigbang as well as NHN Payco and Fastfive. Here's...
JUNE 2019: See you in Seoul July 5-15; Yanolja raises $180M
Hello friends, It's been a big month for Yanolja, Baedal Minjok and NXC. It's also been a big month for me, as I've completed my master's degree in media innovation and entrepreneurship at Northwestern University. It's been quite an interesting experience learning...
MAY 2019: Yello Mobile settles legal woes; GroundX launch date June 27; Noom raises $58M
Hello friends, Happy summer! Which, in Chicago, means it's 50 degrees. The tech scene has picked back up with public and private investments as well as Ground X setting a launch date. Here's a shortlist of news from this month: Big money for Noom, SendBird, Market...