Author: Startup Radar

On November 20th the WFPL announced in Seoul 9 finalists for the World Innovative Contribution Awards (WIC) which will be hosted by the World Federation of Power Leaders. This will take place at the main Auditorium Hall of the National Assembly Memorial Hall on January 10th, 2019. “‘WIC AWARDS  is to contribute to the realization of a just and happy world society by encouraging the figures who have set an example of a desirable citizen of the world through excellent achievements and the ones who have contributed to the world peace and human development, thereby letting the world know about…

Korea is the land of coffee shops. Just walk down any street in Seoul and you’ll find a huge selection of cafes- racoon cafes, book cafes and nap cafes, to name but a few. However, the newest and most innovative café on the block is the new DeCentre blockchain café. The DeCentre blockchain café, located in the heart of Gangnam, offers a space for crypto-enthusiasts to come together, share their knowledge and get updated on the latest blockchain news. Despite the Korean government’s conservative views on blockchain technology, young people have been quick to adopt cryptocurrency and have a keen…

The world has been eagerly awaiting news of the Korean government regulating their blockchain technology and cryptocurrency guidelines. Experts have now stated that it should only be a matter of time before this happens. For onlookers, there has been a lot of speculation about the return of ICOs in Korea. Most importantly, though, the Korean government could use their technological expertise to develop more blockchain technology. It was announced recently that the South Korean government will plans to invest $880 million in blockchain technology systemsnext year. The Korean government has long been skeptical about cryptocurrency and blockchain. Since the technology is…

Blockchain-based social media startup Foresting, have announced that they’ve formed a strategic business agreement (MOU) with Israeli video sharing platform, Viewo. As well as enjoying a shared knowledge pool and more progression, the two companies will be hosting a Foresting Hackathon 2018 together in Tel Aviv this Summer. Foresting HQ is a blockchain based social media platform. The app is being developed to offer a fairer ecosystem for content creators, by sharing the revenue among its users. Viewo, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, is developing a blockchain-based social media platform for video content. Their platform is currently used by more…

A few years ago, we could only see robots speaking in Sci-Fi movies. It was regarded as a far-fetched future story that robots would be a part of our lives. However, the world is starting to change and it is no longer a movie plot. Korean startup Cubroid is coming up with several robots that enhance our lives with their amazing functions. Korean startup Cubroid is a global leading AI and robotics company that leads the educational modular robotics market and STEM education platform for kids. Kids Robotics: Coding Blocks Cubroid presented a coding block set that allows children to explore the…

While blockchain was once known merely as the building blocks used to make bitcoin, it’s now being hailed as a world-changing technology. The past year has saw a huge rise in companies using the blockchain to form innovative, decentralized businesses. However, one of the largest trends we’ve seen is the prominence of blockchain social media apps. These apps are unique in that they reward users for the content they create. We’ve all seen how multi-billion dollar companies like Facebook have gained their fortune thanks to the free content that users have uploaded. This new generation of blockchain social media will…

Blockchain is a bit of a divided subject in Korea. With a few national controversies hitting the headlines such the controversial ban on ICOs and two crypto exchange hacks in as many weeks, you’d be forgiven for thinking that this is a volatile country for blockchain startups. However, with the Korea’s expertise in advanced tech, it should be no surprise that there have been so many blockchain startups popping up in Korea. These startups come from a wide range of industries, including real estate, fintech and more. These are the 13 most promising blockchain startups in Korea who we think…

Runway to RISE Seoul Pitch Competition will be hosted by 500v2 at Google’s Campus Seoul on June 14th. The Korean startups competing have been announced. This will be the first time RISE has come to Seoul. Runway to RISE travels to 8 cities in Asia holding pitch competitions. 1 winner will be selected from each city to come to RISE to compete and represent their country against the other 7 teams.  The winner at RISE Hong Kong will win an Alpha stand at Web Summit in Lisbon in November. Runway to RISE Seoul will offer entrepreneurs in Korea a chance to meet…

A lot will change for the Blockchain ecosystem in Korea after the elections on June 13th.  Depending on who gets elected or re-elected, there is a legit chance that ICOs will be back in Korea.  The public is behind the movement to bring ICOs back to Korea.  As well as being the innovators in Blockchain technologies moving forward.  This is why the mayor of Seoul has promised to support blockchain development as he goes for re-election. In Korea before the elections, a lot of politicians in Korea try to gauge the public opinion.  Currently, the majority of the public supports…

If you thought the U.S. elections were heated, wait until you see the battle between EOS Block Producer candidates in the coming weeks.  It is one of the hottest topics in the cryptocurrency space as the voting for the 21 Block Producers will start in early June. Korea is even getting into it as currently there are 5 Block Producer Candidates in EOSYS, EOS Seoul, Coinone Inc., PAYGATE, and EOS Asia. There are even EOS communities in Korea like KOREOS.IO and EOS Korea. Block producers are decentralized entities that operate and govern the EOS blockchain on behalf of the EOS…

Koreans are more interested in cryptocurrencies than any other country. This is in spite of the Korean government banning ICOs in Korea as well as regulating cryptocurrency exchanges in Korea. Many Koreans are even banking on cryptocurrencies as their retirement funds! Daily trading of cryptocurrencies is very high in Korea so it is good to know which are the best cryptocurrency exchange sites in Korea. We at Startup Radar have assembled a list of the top 10 cryptocurrency exchanges in Korea. We looked into many factors, such as the number of users, security features, customer satisfaction, and payment options.  If you are a…

RISE will be coming to Seoul for the first time ever!  They have partnered with 500v2 the organizers of Startup Festival 2017 to bring Runway to RISE Seoul. Runway to RISE gives an opportunity to early-stage startups (those that have raised less than $200,000) to pitch at RISE on their BREAKTHROUGH stage on Day 3.  The winner of the BREAKTROUGH stage will win an Alpha stand at Web Summit in early November. Runway to RISE is traveling to 8 cities in Asia to pick the best early-stage startup from each country.  Each startup will represent their country at RISE Hong Kong…

Vitalik Buterin, the founder of Ethereum arrived in Seoul to emphasize the need for a more proactive stance on blockchain and cryptocurrency regulation in Korea. This meeting was held a few days before Deconomy. The round-table conference was held by the National Assembly’s 4th Industrial Revolution Forum and ZDNet Korea.  500v2 CEO Jimmy Kim and Foresting CEO Daniel Eom were also at the roundtable to listen and learn from one of the most respected minds when it comes to blockchain technologies. Buterin stressed the importance of fostering the young and passionate generation in Korea so they can access blockchain technologies…

Since starting Startup Radar, I have seen many bad projects in the ICO market.  Because ICOs are so new that currently it is not healthy. The tool itself is very innovative and can address the financial challenges faced by startups in the early stages around the world. It has many positive points and is chasing the game of fundraising. However, it also creates a lot of risk to the public and investors. Therefore, I can understand why the Korean government issued a ban on ICOs. When news came out in late 2017 that the Korean government issued the ban, most…

The 2018 Tokensky Blockchain conference in Seoul was a huge success.  It was held at the Grand Hilton Hotel Convention Center and brought together a large gathering of Blockchain/token companies. Startup Radar, as well as 500v2, were at the event for both days. 500v2, the main organizers of Startup Festival 2017 were scouting possible startups, speakers, and investors for their Startup Festival 2018.  Startup Radar was there to cover the latest blockchain companies looking to disrupt industries. There were many that caught our eye. Below are some of the companies related to Blockchain technology and Tokens to watch out for in 2018.…

South Korea is on the verge of a Fintech revolution and 2018 looks to be a very important year.  The issue will be in regards to the role cryptocurrencies will play in the financial sector.  The ongoing evolution of blockchain-based services could really disrupt the Fintech space.  Korean banks are starting to come around to the use of digital currency. More and more Korean Fintech startups are emerging.  There is news nearly every week about Korean banks such as Shinhan or Woori incorporating blockchain technology into their financial services.  Banks, in general, are emerging as support systems for the Fintech community. Korean…

South Korea has the highest adoption of smartphones in the world with over 80% of young adults using smartphones. Add that to the high-speed internet connection and you have a tech ecosystem that is welcoming of the latest tech trends.  Including the hottest trend for them all virtual currencies, mainly bitcoin in South Korea. Prices of cryptocurrencies in South Korea are higher than anywhere else in the world. Hence you have a high volume of cryptocurrency trading and exchanges.  However, there has been an equal amount of restrictions and regulations from the Korean government.  In order to crack down on the trading and…

500v2 is an Ad Agency in South Korea that specializes in syndicates & alliances and organizez the Startup Festival 2017 has formed a partnership with a South Korean Internet company called Cards Cards Corp. is the developer of the andCards app, a community platform built upon the initial idea of digital business cards. Cards Corp. is one of the winners of K-Startup Grand Challenge 2017, Infinity Challenge at Startup Festival 2017, and Global Startup Expo in Seoul. Korean Startup Cards Corp. was founded in April of 2017 by Igor Dzhebyan and Rostyslav Khanas. Igor, who was part of the investment group of POSCO for 6 years…